


From Now On

by Samunderthelights



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bittersweet, Brother/Brother Incest, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Don't copy to another site, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Love, M/M, Sexual Content, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:14:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26299249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samunderthelights/pseuds/Samunderthelights
Summary: Ubbe and Margrethe are just starting to settle into their life together, when Hvitserk shows up at their doorstep, looking for a place to say. Margrethe isn't too keen on the idea, but Ubbe can't say no to his brother. It's a decision that will change everything.
Relationships: Hvitserk & Ubbe (Vikings), Hvitserk/Margrethe (Vikings), Hvitserk/Margrethe/Ubbe (Vikings), Hvitserk/Ubbe (Vikings), Margrethe/Ubbe (Vikings)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> This is the first chaptered Ubbe / Hvitserk (and Margrethe) story I've written, and I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope some of you might enjoy reading it!!
> 
> Xx

Ubbe and Margrethe have been together, on-and-off, for nearly five years, but they have only just moved in together last month. It was supposed to be the beginning of their new life together, but so far it hasn’t exactly been the fairytale it was supposed to be.

The house is everything they had dreamt it would be, after all, they had designed it themselves, and it is built to fit their every want, their every need. But only days after moving in, Ubbe had had to go away for work, and it had meant that Margrethe was the one left to do all the unpacking. And while Torvi, Ubbe’s sister-in-law, and Lagertha, Ubbe’s stepmother, had helped out as much as they could, Margrethe had been upset about having to spend two weeks alone in the house, and she had grown cold. Bitter.

Ubbe had promised to make it up to her, but just as they had started to settle into their new life, his brother Hvitserk had shown up on the doorstep, begging them for a place to stay, after having been evicted from his apartment.

Margrethe had been hesitant to let Hvitserk stay, because at the beginning of her and Ubbe’s relationship, she had also been seeing Hvitserk. And while eventually she had chosen to go on with Ubbe, there had always still been something between her and Hvitserk. It had led to her avoiding him, but if they were supposed to live in a house together now, that wouldn’t be an option anymore.

Ubbe is aware of the attraction between his fiancée and his brother, but he trusts them both, and he knows they are old and wise enough to make their own decisions. He had been willing to risk it, so last week Hvitserk had moved in with them.

* * *

When Ubbe comes down, after having gotten ready for work, he senses a tension in the room. Margrethe and Hvitserk are sitting at the bar, looking out at the lake, their legs touching, Hvitserk’s fingers playing with her hair.

“Is there any coffee left?” Ubbe asks, and while his brother turns his head, he doesn’t take his hand off Margrethe’s shoulder.

“There should be,” Hvitserk answers, and when he sees Ubbe glancing down at his fingers, which are still playing with Margrethe’s hair, he asks for a silent permission. Ubbe just shrugs, so his younger brother looks back out at the lake, a big grin on his face. “Was this your design then?”

“Yeah, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the living area… the rest was Margrethe’s idea.”

“That makes it sound like I just picked out some beds,” Margrethe snaps. “I did more than that!”

“I know.” Ubbe smiles. “I was just saying…”

“It was all his design,” Margrethe says, and Hvitserk turns his head, sharing a knowing smile with his brother.

“So? Who else wants a coffee?”

* * *

“Why don’t you take her out, try to get her to relax?” Hvitserk suggests, as he lets himself crash down on his brother’s bed. Ubbe is getting out of his clothes, ready for a shower, after yet another long day at work, but as soon as he had come home, Margrethe had snapped at him for something she hadn’t liked.

“I never have the time. This place… it’s great, but who do you think has to pay for it?” Ubbe asks. “I love her, I do, but…”

“I know. She is stressed,” Hvitserk says, as his brother steps into the shower.

“Why don’t you take her out? You have more time,” Ubbe suggests, and Hvitserk can’t help but laugh.

“You don’t think that would be a little weird?”

“It would be, if you make it weird. I’m not suggesting you take her out for a romantic meal, but I don’t know… take her shopping, go see a movie…”

“Like a date?” Hvitserk laughs, but when the tap turns off, and his brother steps back into the bedroom, he can see the glare on his face. “I’m only kidding!”

* * *

“Hvitserk asked me to go to the movies with him tomorrow,” Margrethe says, as she steps into bed that night. “I said I would go with him.”

“Good, you shouldn’t be stuck in the house all the time,” Ubbe says, but his fiancée just looks at him. “What?”

“I want to go out with you, Ubbe. But you never have time for me anymore.”

“I need to work. We can still go out, but…”

“And Torvi is always ignoring my calls,” Margrethe goes on. “I know she is upset because I said…”

“That Bjorn was cheating,” Ubbe laughs, but Margrethe just shrugs. “Just give her time.”

“I get lonely out here!”

“I know,” Ubbe sighs, before kissing her. Margrethe takes his hand, and pushes it in between her legs, as she lies down on her back. Just feeling the warmth, the wetness, it still makes him feel a rush of adrenaline every single time. And he can feel his lips curling up into a grin, as a moan escapes from somewhere deep down inside of her.

“Fuck me, Ubbe,” she groans, and Ubbe glances over at the open bedroom door. He can see that Hvtiserk’s door is opened as well, but the light is off, and for a moment, he can’t help but wonder if his brother is asleep, or if he is listening to their every single movement. If he is listening to Margrethe’s moaning, if it is turning him on.

“Ubbe,” Margrethe repeats, making Ubbe snap out of his thoughts. He pushes the duvet off them, wanting to see his fiancée’s body, but it also makes it feel more exciting, more dangerous, knowing that they can be seen.

He brings his mouth down to her cunt, and he licks her, wanting to taste her, wanting to tease her, before brining his mouth up to hers and kissing her. She had always been hungry, passionate, full of fire, and even when their relationship was rocky, even when they were fighting, they had always had the most fiery sex.

“Fuck me,” Margrethe repeats, and Ubbe pushes into her, making her moan out again. He glances over to the open door again, the adrenaline rushing through his body, and as he continues pushing into her, he catches himself hoping that Hvitserk can hear her right now.

But when they change position, and he ends up on his back, Margrethe riding him, he catches himself being much louder than he had anticipated. For a moment he feels embarrassed, but when he sees the big grin on his fiancée’s face, he realises she knows exactly what she is doing.

“You crazy…”

“That’s why you love me,” Margrethe whispers, before grabbing hold of his nipples, making him gasp for air. She glances over to the open door, the grin on her face growing.

Margrethe teases him, and she takes it so slowly, that it nearly drives Ubbe mad, but in the best way possible. And by the time he comes, he is out of breath, his body sore, covered in sweat.

“Goodnight, Ubbe,” Margrethe whispers, before giving him a peck on the lips.

“Yeah, goodnight,” Ubbe laughs, shaking his head. “You’re mad, you know that?”

* * *

When Ubbe joins his brother for breakfast the next morning, he tries to keep a straight face, but when he sees the big, knowing grin on Hvitserk’s face, he can’t help but laugh.

“Sorry, brother, we were…”

“I heard,” Hvitserk laughs. “Don’t let me stop you.”

“We’ll try to close the door next time.”

“I didn’t mind.” Hvitserk shrugs, and Ubbe is sure that he can see a blush on his face. “It was…”

“Really?” Ubbe laughs. “Good to know.”

Hvitserk opens his mouth to say something, but when Margrethe comes into the kitchen, wearing nothing but a see-through nightdress, they both keep quiet, as they stare at her.

“What? It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” Margrethe shrugs.

“I’m telling you, she’s mad that one,” Ubbe laughs, before stepping up to his fiancée and kissing her. “Now, you two are going to the movies today, aren’t you?”

“That’s the plan.”

“How about I pick up a pizza after work? We make a night of it?” Ubbe suggests. “Maybe have a drink…”

“What, the three of us?” Margrethe asks, a confused look on her face.

“Sure, why not?”

* * *

Since Hvitserk had started taking Margrethe out, she had started to relax a little. It had given Ubbe some space to breathe, but he had decided to come home early today, to spend the afternoon with them. But the minute he had stepped into the house, he had regretted his decision. Because he could already hear Margrethe’s moaning, and there had been no doubt in his mind as to what it meant.

Ubbe had gone up the stairs, and he had taken a peak into Hvitserk’s room, but when he had seen his brother and his fiancée in bed together, it hadn’t hurt him. It hadn’t upset him, it hadn’t shocked him. Seeing Margrethe, facing the window, Hvitserk lying behind her, pushing into her, his hand grabbing onto her, his face flushed, focussed, it hadn’t upset Ubbe. He had been expecting this to happen.

So he had simply gone back downstairs, and he had made himself a coffee.

“I ehm…,” he begins, when Hvitserk joins him in the kitchen, a little while later, still flushed, his hair sticking to his face. “I saw you.”

“I know, I heard you coming up the stairs,” Hvitserk admits, but Ubbe just nods. “When do you want me to leave?”

“I don’t. Look, I know that you and Margrethe have this… thing. Just because she chose to be with me, doesn’t mean whatever you had ever went away,” Ubbe says, staring down into his coffee. “She can choose who she wants to fuck.”

“You’re not angry with me?”

“I know you love her, Hvitserk.” Ubbe shrugs, before finally looking back up at his brother. Seeing his flushed, tired face, it makes his heart skip a beat, and when he catches it happening, he can’t help but smile.

“What?”

“You look…”

“Sorry, Margrethe is in the shower. I wanted to talk to you before she…,” Hvitserk begins, but Ubbe shakes his head, smiling to himself. “Sorry.”

“Go on, get yourself cleaned up.”

“Are we good?”

“Of course. You’re my brother.”

* * *

The three of them had hung out that afternoon, and they had gone for a walk around the lake. Margrethe hadn’t even noticed the fact that Ubbe had known about what had happened earlier, and while Hvitserk had been a little uncomfortable around the two of them at first, he had relaxed eventually, and it had been like nothing had happened at all.

But later in bed, Margrethe had kept kissing Ubbe, and she asked him to fuck her. But Ubbe hadn’t been in the mood to have sex with her, so he had rejected her, saying he wasn’t up for it tonight. It had set her off, and after having been called every name under the sun, Ubbe had turned around and he had pretended to go to sleep.

But it’s been hours, and he is still awake. So he quietly gets out of bed, puts a pair of pants on, making sure not to wake Margrethe up, and he goes downstairs. He wants to make himself a drink, but when he finds his brother sitting on the rug, in front of the fire, brushing his freshly-washed hair, he can’t help but smile.

“May I?” he whispers, and he kneels down behind his brother. Without saying a word, Hvitserk hands him the brush, and Ubbe can’t help but think of when they were younger.

Their mother had left when they were just a few years old, and it had left their father, Ragnar, to look after four little boys. He had ended up going back to his ex-wife, with whom he shares his oldest son, Bjorn, but Ubbe and Hvitserk had always felt a little out of place in their little family. So they had stuck together, and when they were little, they would brush each other’s hair, and plait it. They would spend hours and hours coming up with new hairstyles, and while they had been teased for it at school, it had never put them off. And just looking at Hvitserk’s long hair now, Ubbe can’t help but feel the love and pride he has always felt for his brother.

He lays down the brush, and he carefully plaits Hvitserk’s hair, remembering one of the more intricate hairstyles they had come up with when they were little. He half expects Hvitserk to stop him, but he doesn’t say a word, he just keeps staring at the fire. And it isn’t until Ubbe is finished, and he ever so carefully touches his neck, that he seems to come alive.

Ubbe moves his fingertips from the back of Hvitserk’s neck, down to his arm, and he can see that it is making him shiver. So he brings his fingers back up, and he lays his hand down on his brother’s back.

“Is this okay?” he whispers, but Hvitserk just nods, unable to speak a word right now.

Ubbe leans down, and he kisses the back of Hvitserk’s neck, half expecting him to jump up, but instead, Hvitserk leans into the kiss. He doesn’t move away, he doesn’t run.

“What are we doing, Ubbe?” Hvitserk whispers, as he turns around, their faces now almost touching, but his hands are grabbing onto Ubbe’s arms, and when Ubbe takes hold of his t-shirt, before pulling it up over his head, he doesn’t stop him.

Hvitserk lies down on his back, and Ubbe can see that he is struggling to steady his breath, so he lays his hand down on his chest, and just feeling his heartbeat brings a nervous smile to his face.

“I’m…,” Hvitserk begins, but Ubbe is already nodding.

“I know, me too,” Ubbe whispers, before leaning down, and pressing a nervous kiss down on Hvitserk’s stomach. He then sits back up, and he takes a deep breath, before helping him out of his pyjama bottoms. And to see him lying there, in the middle of the rug, naked, vulnerable, it makes Ubbe feel more protective over him than ever before.

But he can’t deny that it also makes him feel something else, something he can see in Hvitserk’s eyes as well. And when he hesitates, Hvitserk sits up, their face nearly touching again.

“I’ll let you take me,” he whispers, a grin on his face, and Ubbe can’t help but laugh. “What, you’re not backing out now, are you?”

“No,” Ubbe laughs, a fire growing inside of him, when he sees the grin on his brother’s face. He gets up, and he drops his pants, half expecting Hvitserk to flinch, but the grin on his face only grows bigger.

“Come on then,” Hvitserk laughs. “I haven’t got all night.”

“Really? You’ve got somewhere to be?” Ubbe asks, still looking down at Hvitserk. Daring him, teasing him.

“Close your eyes,” Hvitserk whispers, and Ubbe wonders if he is about to be left here on his own. But he trusts his brother, so he does as he is told, and he closes his eyes, waiting for something to happen, something to be brought in, Perhaps a drink, condoms, lubricant. But when he feels the warm wetness of a mouth around his dick, his eyes shoot open, and when he looks down, he is still a little shocked to find Hvitserk kneeled down in front of him.

“Where the fuck did you learn how to do this?” he laughs, and his brother looks up at him, with big, fired up eyes, but he doesn’t say a word. He just continues, and Ubbe keeps watching him, his insides feeling like both ice and fire at the same time.

But then Hvitserk stops, and he moves away from him.

“You’re hard,” he states, and Ubbe looks down at his dick, Hvitserk’s spit glistening in the firelight. “I can go on, but…”

“No,” Ubbe laughs. He kneels down with his brother, and they lie down in front of the fire, Ubbe pressed up against Hvitserk’s back. “Are you ready?” Ubbe asks, but Hvitserk just nods. So Ubbe carefully, and slowly, pushes himself into him. He is expecting there to be some kind of reaction, but Hvitserk is as quiet as a mouse, and after only a moment or two, his body relaxes, and Ubbe can’t help but smile.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” he whispers, a grin forming on his brother’s lips.

“Once or twice,” he laughs, Ubbe grabbing onto his hip, as he carefully pushes into him again. “I won’t break, you know?”

Ubbe lets go of being careful, and so he pushes into him, letting himself be led by the adrenaline, the excitement, the pure high of the moment. He catches himself biting down on Hvitserk’s shoulder, trying to keep quiet, but Hvitserk doesn’t seem to mind, because he is grabbing onto his arm, his side, his leg. And it isn’t until Ubbe feels that he is about to come, that he slows down, because he doesn’t want to moment to end. Not yet.

He can’t make it last forever though, and with one final push, he spills inside of Hvitserk. But instead of getting up and getting dressed, he wraps his arm around his brother, and he holds him close, not ready to let go of him yet.

He kisses the back of his neck, but Hvitserk turns around in his arm, his face flushed, but satisfied, and just seeing him like this, it makes Ubbe want to start all over.

“Ubbe, I…”

“What?” Ubbe whispers, their heads resting together, but even like this, he can see the nerves in his brother’s eyes. “Tell me.”

“I’m going to kiss you,” Hvitserk states, and before Ubbe can even say a word, Hvitserk has pressed their lips together. It’s just a short kiss, but it feels more intense, more intimate than what they had just done, and Ubbe can feel his insides struggling to catch up to everything that has happened tonight.

“I should ehm…”

“Go back to Margrethe.”

“Yes,” Ubbe agrees, before getting up. But as he looks down at Hvitserk, lying there in the firelight, he can’t help but sigh, wanting nothing more than to stay here with him. “I love you, Hvitserk.”

“I love you too, brother.”


	2. Chapter 2

When Ubbe wakes up the next morning, Margrethe is sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him. It scares him for a moment, but he quickly recovers, and he flashes a smile.

“Good morning.”

“Did you have fun last night?”

“What?” Ubbe laughs, but he feels like he has just been punched in the face. How does Margrethe know? And what will she do?

“I heard you!”

“I…”

“You were laughing, drinking?”

“Margrethe…”

“You lied to me, Ubbe,” Margrethe spits out. “You told me you weren’t feeling well, that you were going to sleep. Then you went down to have a party with him?”

“A party?” Ubbe laughs. “I couldn’t sleep, so yes, I had a drink with Hvitserk. That’s all.”

“Really?” Margrethe asks. “That is all?”

“Yes.” Ubbe lies, but he can see the knowing look on her face. The daring look. “That is all, Margrethe.”

“Fine. I suppose we better go and have breakfast with your brother then.”

“Let’s.”

They go downstairs, and Ubbe feels his heart skip a beat when he sees Hvitserk in the kitchen, making coffee. He is wearing a t-shirt, but there is a bite mark popping out, and Ubbe feels a strange sense of pride when he sees it. But he quickly looks away when his brother looks at him.

“Ubbe told me what happened last night.”

“He did?” Hvitserk asks, but when he sees Ubbe shaking his head, he can’t help but smile. “Did you tell him what we did yesterday? Before he got home?”

“No,” Margrethe quickly says, an embarrassed look on her face. “We should ehm… we should get the shopping done today.”

“Sure,” Hvitserk says, sharing a knowing smile with Ubbe. “Are you coming with us?”

“I’ve got to work today. So you’ll have the house all to yourselves.”

“Right.”

* * *

“Did you tell Ubbe what happened yesterday?” Margrethe asks, as she and Hvitserk are clearing away the shopping. “He is… off with me.”

“Maybe he just guessed it.” Hvitserk shrugs. “He knows we’re still…”

“I’m in love with Ubbe, Hvitserk. I am going to marry him.”

“I know, but you were the one who kissed me, remember? You said you wanted me to fuck you. You have been playing up every time you and Ubbe are in bed, just to…”

“To what?” Margrethe spits out. “Huh, Hvitserk?”

“You want me, just as much as I want you,” Hvitserk says, a big, confident grin on his face. He can tell that Margrethe didn’t expect to be caught out, that she is trying to figure out her next step. But when he steps up to her, and he slides his hand underneath her skirt, she gasps for air.

“What are you doing? Ubbe can come home any minute. If he sees us…”

“Let him.”

“Hvitserk,” Margrethe begins, but she keeps quiet when he grabs her, and sits her down on the counter. He removes her pants, and he can’t help but notice her glancing into the direction of the front door, but when he presses his mouth up against her cunt, she doesn’t stop him. She starts moaning, but Hvitserk knows what he is doing, and he knows how to tease her, to make this last as long as possible, to make the risk of Ubbe walking in on them as big as possible.

“Fuck, Hvitserk!” Margrethe cries out, when they hear Ubbe’s car outside. But Hvitserk doesn’t stop. “He’ll see us!”

Hvitserk can’t help but feel a rush of adrenaline, when Margrethe comes, only seconds before Ubbe steps into the kitchen. She quickly jumps to the floor, adjusts her skirt, and pretends to be studying a bottle. And when Ubbe greets her and kisses her, she fakes a smile, before returning to the bottle. But Ubbe has already noticed her pants lying on the floor, and when he steps up to his brother, he shakes his head, smiling. He wipes his lips clean for him, before wrapping his arms around him, giving him a big hug.

“Did you two have a good day then?”

“It was alright,” Hvitserk shrugs, as his brother lets go of him. “Nothing much happened. We did the shopping. Right, Margrethe?”

“Yes,” Margrethe quickly says, faking another smile. “How was work? Do you want a coffee? I bought these cookies…”

* * *

Margrethe is in the kitchen, preparing a dish for tomorrow’s family lunch, but when Ubbe and Hvitserk walk into the kitchen, laughing together, she drops everything, crossing her arms, an irritated look on her face.

“What have I done this time?” Ubbe asks, when he sees his fiancée’s face.

“You two, you’re…”

“What?” Hvitserk asks. “We offered to help, but you…”

“You know I know, don’t you?”

“Know what?” Ubbe asks, daring her to speak the words, but she knows that if she speaks out now, she will be confronted about what she has done as well. So she picks the bowl back up, a frustrated look on her face. There is something about her anger, about her jealousy that turns Ubbe on though, that makes him want to take her right here, right now. And Hvitserk seems to notice, because when Ubbe looks up at him, he has a knowing grin on his face.

“I should… I was going to wash my hair,” he lies, not even trying to hide it, before quickly making his way out of the kitchen.

Ubbe steps up to Margrethe, and he starts kissing her neck, but she ignores him, she even pushes him away. But he tries again, and Margrethe grabs the knife from the counter, turns around, and presses the knife up against his throat. It makes him feel a rush of adrenaline, but it doesn’t scare him, it just makes him grow hard, when he sees the fire in his fiancée’s eyes that tells him what is going to happen.

The knife presses against his throat, and when he swallows, he can feel the metal pressing into his skin. But the wild, fired up grin on Margrethe’s face only grows bigger, and she pushes him down onto the floor. Ubbe doesn’t object, and when Margrethe crawls down onto him, bringing the knife up to the side of his neck, it only makes him grow harder.

“You’re mad,” he says, when Margrethe brings the knife up to his chest, and cuts open his shirt.

“You have no idea.” Margrethe grins, the cold metal now pressing into Ubbe’s chest. He looks down, and he wonders if there will be any blood drawn, if she is mad enough to try and make her mark. But Margrethe throws the knife to the side, and she gets back up, a devilish grin on her face.

“Are you…”

“I’m busy, Ubbe,” Margrethe says, as she turns back to continue preparing her dish.

“You’re just going to leave me like this?” Ubbe laughs, as he gets back up. He tries to kiss the back of her neck, but she pushes him away, and he knows exactly what she is doing. “You’re terrible.”

“Get someone else to help you out with that.”

“What, like who? Huh?” Ubbe laughs, daring Margrethe to say what she had been meaning. But Margrethe just looks at him, and she raises an eyebrow. “I guess I’ll go and take care of this myself then, eh?”

“Whatever, Ubbe.”

* * *

That night Ubbe can’t sleep, so he goes downstairs, hoping to find Hvitserk there again. And his heart makes a little jump when he finds him lying on his back in front of the fire.

He joins him, but he doesn’t say a word.

“Do you ever think about her?”

“Mum?” Ubbe asks, but Hvitserk just nods. “Of course.”

“I miss her sometimes.”

“Me too,” Ubbe admits.

“I know it’s stupid, but I keep thinking maybe we could have done something to make her stay. Maybe she…”

“She didn’t leave because of us, Hvitserk. We did nothing wrong. We were just kids,” Ubbe quickly says, and he turns to his side, so he can face his brother. “You do know that, don’t you?”

“I know, but she was our mother.”

“Who chose to leave us.”

“I tried to find her,” Hvitserk admits. “I even got her number, but when I left her a message, she never called me back.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know dad tried his best, and Lagertha tried to make us feel like we were…”

“Her kids,” Ubbe says, and his brother nods. “But it’s not the same.”

“Exactly. I just wanted to get to know our mother, you know?”

Ubbe brushes a loose strand of hair out of his brother’s face, before pressing a kiss to his forehead, wishing he could take his pain away. But he doesn’t know how to. He doesn’t know how to protect, how to help his brother, and it hurts him more than he could ever put into words.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to be married soon,” Hvitserk then whispers, and Ubbe can’t help but smile. “To Margrethe.”

“You’re not upset with me, are you?”

“She chose you, and I know you would have been happy for me if she had chosen me, so…”

“She still loves you,” Ubbe whispers, a shy smile forming on his brother’s lips.

“You’re a lucky man, Ubbe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

Ubbe wakes up from feet stomping down the stairs. He realises he has fallen asleep in front of the fire with Hvitserk, and he is about to wake him up, when Margrethe storms into the room.

“Why didn’t you come to bed?” she spits out, her eyes filled with jealousy and rage. “You slept here?”

“Yeah, sorry, we…”

“Really? What is wrong with you?” Margrethe asks, not even giving Ubbe a chance to explain, before storming off. Hvitserk is only just waking up, so he isn’t fully aware of what has just happened, but when he hears Margrethe raging in the kitchen, he gets a sheepish grin on his face.

“Is she…”

“We fell asleep,” Ubbe explains. “So she’s a bit…”

“A bit?” Hvitserk laughs. “You better go and make it up to her before she tears the place down.”

“Yeah… if you hear me cry for help…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back,” Hvitserk laughs, as Ubbe gets up, a nervous look on his face. “Good luck?”

* * *

Ubbe is in the shower, getting ready for the family lunch. This will be the first time the family is getting together at the house since it was finished, and Ubbe can’t help but feel a fluttering in his stomach. Knowing that he and Margrethe have designed this place, that his family will finally get to see his finished work, it makes him feel more nervous than he thought he would.

But when he hears footsteps on the bathroom tiles, he snaps out of his thoughts. He half expects Margrethe to have come in, telling him that he is taking too long to get ready. But when he turns around, he finds Hvitserk standing there, a small, nervous smile on his face.

“May I?”

“Be my guest,” Ubbe says, the smile on his brother’s face growing bigger. Hvitserk gets out of his clothes, and he steps into the shower. Ubbe turns to face the matt glass wall facing the bedroom, and he tries to ignore his brother’s presence, not sure what him being here means. But when he feels him stepping up behind him, and grabbing hold of his waist, he struggles to steady his breath.

“I ehm…,” he manages to bring out, but when Hvitserk starts kissing his neck, he simply closes his eyes, and he leans into his kiss, unable to say another word. And it isn’t until he feels Hvitserk’s hand making his way towards his ass, that he opens his eyes, and he turns to look over his shoulder.

“Is this…?”

Ubbe nods, and when he sees the grin on his brother’s face growing bigger, it truly hits him what is about to happen. For a split-second he hesitates, and Hvitserk seems to notice, because he brings his hand up to the side of his neck, a worried look on his face.

“Do you want me to go?”

“No,” Ubbe quickly whispers, the water crashing down around them, nearly drowning out his voice, but when he presses his lips against Hvitserk’s, it’s enough to tell him that this is what he wants.

He turns to face the glass wall again, a million thoughts racing through his mind all at once, but when he feels Hvitserk pushing a finger into him, it’s like someone has pressed pause. He can’t hear the water, Margrethe downstairs in the kitchen, he can’t even hear his own thoughts. He can only focus on Hvitserk’s finger inside of him, and when he adds another, Ubbe turns to look over his shoulder, only to be met by a huge smirk. He realises that Hvitserk knows what he is doing, that he knows what he must be feeling right now. What he must be thinking.

“You son of a…,” Ubbe cries out, but his voice is drowned out by a loud groan. And although there is a small voice in the back of his mind telling him he should be worried about Margrethe being downstairs, about her being able to hear him, he can’t help himself right now.

He can feel Hvitserk’s fingers leaving him, and it leaves him feeling cold, empty. He almost turns to beg him to go on, but before he can, Hvitserk has pushed his dick inside of him, and even though Ubbe knew it was coming, he hadn’t been expecting it to happen without a warning. Just the sheer shock of it makes his knees buckle, and Hvitserk wraps an arm around him to keep him on his feet.

“Are you okay?” he whispers, his lips brushing just past his brother’s ear, making him even more aware of just how on edge his senses are right now.

Ubbe nods, and this time when Hvitserk pushes into him, he knows it’s coming. Still it almost takes his breath away, just feeling Hvitserk inside of him.

Hvitserk starts kissing his neck, and he manages to find _the_ spot. It’s almost enough to send Ubbe over the edge, right then and there, and Hvitserk seems to notice, because he picks up the pace, and Ubbe can hear his soft, low groaning, even though it’s barely audible with the water still crashing down around them.

Hvitserk pushes into him one final time, and it hits Ubbe that he has just come inside of him. That right now, at this moment, Hvitserk’s cum is inside of him. It sends such a rush of adrenaline through him, that he is seeing stars for a moment. And when Hvitserk turns him around, and they are facing each other, he can’t help but laugh.

“Are you okay?” Hvitserk asks, as he brushes the hair out of Ubbe’s face.

“I’m…,” Ubbe begins, but before he knows it, he has pressed his lips against Hvitserk’s. But where they had kissed before, they had been short, quick kisses. This time he slides his tongue into Hvitserk’s mouth, and Hvitserk is all too keen to let him, as their hands are grabbing onto each other, trying to take in as much of each other as humanly possible.

* * *

“So, the place turned out great, didn’t it?” Ragnar asks, a little while into the lunch. “You must be pretty happy.”

“It’s wonderful,” Margrethe agrees. “I just wish Ubbe was home with me more often. I feel like I’m living here on my own.”

“Well, someone has to pay for all this,” Ubbe says, trying to fake a smile, but it comes out so forced, that his father and Lagertha struggle to keep a straight face.

“I know, but you’re at work all the time. You’d almost think you were having an affair,” Margrethe says, the conversations around the table slowly but surely dying down, and everyone’s focus turns to her.

“Really, Margrethe?” Ubbe asks. “You want to do this right now?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“I’m the one having an affair?”

“Are you?” Margrethe asks, a daring look on her face. “Ubbe?” she adds, before turning to face Hvitserk. But there is nothing subtle about it, and there is a deadly silence all around the table.

“Fine, you want to hear me say it?” Ubbe asks, giving his fiancée a final chance to back out. But the daring grin on her face grows bigger, and something inside of him snaps. “Yeah, I fucked Hvitserk. Is that what you want to hear?” he spits out, trying his best to ignore the shocked faces all around the table. “And you want to hear something else?” he adds, a rage burning inside of him now. “He fucked me just this morning, and I loved every single minute of it!”

“I…,” Margrethe begins, but when she sees that Ubbe is not going to back down, she gets up, and she storms out of the room.

“I’ll go see if she’s okay,” Torvi says, and she quickly follows her. But there is a deadly silence in the room, and Ubbe looks at Hvitserk, the rage now having been replaced by guilt. Because this wasn’t just about him, this was about Hvitserk too. It wasn’t his place to tell.

“So…,” Ragnar begins, an uncomfortable look on his face. “I don’t think you were saying those things just to rile her up, were you?”

Ubbe shakes his head, almost getting choked up from the guilt, but when he sees a big grin forming on Hvitserk’s face, before he bursts out laughing, he breathes a sigh of relief.

“Really?” Bjorn asks, a confused look on his face. “So it was a joke?”

“You two are sick,” Ivar spits out, but Ragnar just stares at his sons, a worried look on his face.

“This is why I don’t do relationships. I don’t need this,” Sigurd shrugs, before returning to his plate of food.

“Yeah, I think as long as you don’t hook up with one of your brothers, you’re already better off than those two,” Bjorn says, and Ubbe can see Hvitserk trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably.

“I think we need to talk,” Ragnar says, before getting up and leading Hvitserk and Ubbe into the other room. “Look, you two are old enough to decide who you sleep with,” Ragnar begins, but his sons are both actively avoiding his eyes, and he sighs. “Was it a joke or not?”

“No,” Ubbe admits. “We did…”

“That’s your business,” Ragnar says. “But don’t forget who you are. You are brothers first, do you hear me?”

“It’s nothing, dad,” Hvitserk tries, but Ragnar has a pained look on his face, and he turns to face the window. “It was just sex. It’s not like we…”

“Nothing?” Ragnar interrupts him, as he turns to face them again. “Nothing? How can you say that, huh?”

“Dad…”

“You think this is normal? You think me and Rollo ever did what the two of you did? You think your brothers did?”

“No, but…,” Ubbe tries, but words are failing him, and when he looks at Hvitserk, he can tell that he isn’t sure what to say either.

“It’s not normal!” Ragnar spits out. “But it’s your life, and I am not going to try and stop you. If this is what you want to do… just think about what you have, Ubbe. Margrethe is out there, and she…”

“I’m fucking Margrethe too,” Hvitserk blurts out, but Ragnar just sighs. “We all know, it’s not like we’re cheating, or…”

“Do you even hear what you’re saying?” Ragnar asks. “You are sleeping with your brother’s fiancée, Hvitserk. You’re sleeping with your brother.”

“At least we all know what we’re doing,” Hvitserk spits out, and Ubbe tries to stop him, but he fails, and his brother spits out the words he was meant to keep in for the rest of his life. “At least I didn’t fuck around and ruin my whole family like you did!”

“What did you say?” Ragnar asks, obviously hurt by his son’s words. “I never… you have no idea what you’re talking about Hvitserk. Don’t you dare…”

“We all know, dad. You fucked Athelstan, and when mum found out, she left us.”

“You think that’s what happened?” Ragnar asks, looking very tired all of the sudden. He seems so broken, so fragile, that when he sits down in the chair, Ubbe wants to rush over to him and see if he’s okay. But Ragnar shakes his head, and he looks out of the window. “I did not fuck around, Hvitserk.”

“We know you slept with Athelstan,” Ubbe says, and his father looks up at him, his eyes filled with tears.

“I did,” Ragnar admits. “I was with your mother, but I’m ashamed to say that I fell in love with Athelstan. I tried to keep it to myself, for everyone’s sake, but sometimes you just can’t…” He sighs, before continuing. “We tried to do the right thing, but yes, we slept together. It happened just once. We agreed that it could never happen again, and I decided to stay with your mother, to give you the best life.”

“But…”

“The next year your mother left,” Ragnar explains, “She never found out about Athelstan. She just… she had her reasons to leave. But none of those had to do with Athelstan.”

“Then why didn’t you go back to him after mum left?” Ubbe asks, but his father shrugs, a tearful smile on his face.

“By then Athelstan had met Judith, and they had just found out that she was pregnant… I got back together with Lagertha…”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Hvitserk asks, “All the times we saw him… were you still in love with him then? Even after you and Lagertha…”

“I will always love Athelstan,” Ragnar admits. “When he passed away…”

“I’m sorry I said…,” Hvitserk begins, but his father shakes his head.

“Now you know,” Ragnar says, before getting up, and stepping up to them. “Look, I am not judging you. If you can find a way to make this work, then do whatever you like. But please think before you continue with this… whatever it is.”

“I’m sorry,” Ubbe whispers, but their father shakes his head, and he pulls them both into a hug.

“Well, I suppose you could both do worse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

They had all tried to sit down and continue lunch as though nothing had happened, as though nothing had been said. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room. So they had all, one by one, made their excuses to leave, and once they had all gone, Margrethe had stomped up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door shut behind her.

Ubbe knows he should go see if she is okay, but when he looks out of the window and he sees Hvitserk sitting by the lake, he decides to go out to check on him instead.

“I’m sorry I dropped you in it like that,” he says, but his brother just shrugs. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but Margrethe…”

“I know what she’s been doing. She’s been trying to get me to say something too,” Hvitserk admits, not taking his eyes off the lake. “It’s fine though. I don’t care that they know.”

“You’re upset.”

“Because of what I said to dad.” Hvitserk sighs. “Did you know, about Athelstan?”

“You know I would’ve told you if I did. But dad won’t hold it against you, what you said. What we thought he did.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t have said it.”

“Well, I doubt it’ll be the thing he remembers about today anyway,” Ubbe says, and he can see his brother’s lips curling up into a smile. “I’m sorry I let Margrethe get to me. Saying what I said…,” he continues, but when he sees the look on his brother’s face, he stops.

“About this morning, you mean?”

“Are you blushing, Hvitserk?” Ubbe laughs. He is trying to lighten the mood, but his brother’s eyes are starting to gloss over, and he can tell that there is still something playing on his mind. That a joke isn’t going to fix this. “Have I messed this up?”

“No!” Hvitserk quickly says, before turning to look over his shoulder, back at the house. Back at where Margrethe is. “Is she okay?”

“She wanted a reaction and she got one.” Ubbe shrugs, but his brother can see right through him. He can see that he is worried that what had happened today has hurt their relationship, that he is avoiding her to avoid seeing her reaction.

“Go talk to her, Ubbe.”

“Are we good?”

“Of course,” Hvitserk says, and he flashes a small, tired smile. Ubbe gets up, but before he leaves, he leans down, and he kisses his brother on the top of the head. He then heads back to the house, and he goes up to the bedroom, nervous to see what he is about to walk in on.

But when he opens the door, Margrethe is lying in the bath, her eyes closed, looking so peaceful, that for a moment, Ubbe wonders if she has fallen asleep. But as he is about to head back out again, she opens her eyes.

“Do you still want to be with me?”

“Of course! I love you,” Ubbe says, before sitting down on the side of the bathtub. He leans down, and he tries to kiss Margrethe, but she turns her head, a vulnerable look on her face. He has gotten so used to seeing her fiery side, that it scares him for a moment to see her like this.

“Why did you do it?”

“I could ask you the same thing, but we both know what the answer is, don’t we?”

“Are you going to keep on fucking him?” Margrethe asks, so calm, so emotionless, that Ubbe can feel himself waiting for the catch. Waiting for the outburst. But his fiancée just raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to answer.

“Are you?”

“What does that mean for us?”

“I don’t know,” Ubbe admits. “We can go on like this, ignore…”

“You want me to ignore the fact that you are fucking Hvitserk?” Margrethe spits out, her eyes now full of rage, and Ubbe can’t help but smile, because this is the Margrethe he knows. “He is…”

“Do you really want to have this conversation?” Ubbe laughs. “You know I walked in on you and him, right?”

“You…,” Margrethe begins, but Ubbe starts tracing her breast with the tip of his finger, only just touching it, knowing exactly how to tease her, how to take her mind elsewhere. When she closes her eyes again, he is hoping that his distraction has worked, but he can see the corner of her mouth curling up into a smile, and there is something dangerous hiding behind it. It worries him, but it also makes him feel excited to find out what is hiding behind there.

“What is…”

“If we are both going to go on fucking him….”

“Yes?” Ubbe asks, as Margrethe opens her eyes, that dangerous smile still there. “What are you thinking?”

Margrethe leans into his ear, and he half expects to be bitten or scratched, but when he hears her whispering, he can’t help but laugh.

“Let’s see if you can handle both of us.”

“What? You mean…”

“You want to fuck us both, let’s see if you’re up to it,” Margrethe says, the smile on her face growing into a daring grin. “Or are you too scared?”

“You’re mad!”

Ubbe is ready to get up and walk out, but there is something in Margrethe’s grin that makes him stay. He kisses her, and he tastes a hunger that tells him that she isn’t angry with him, he hasn’t lost her.

“I love you,” he whispers, before kissing her again. “I can’t wait to marry you. You know that, don’t you?”

“Don’t change the subject now, Ubbe.”

Ubbe can’t help but smile, but when Margrethe raises her eyebrow again, he knows that she is waiting for an answer. The thought of taking what he shares with Hvitserk, and mix it into what Margrethe and Hvitserk share, it makes him nervous. Because what if this implodes, and it rips apart everything they have now? But then, it could also be a good thing for all them, and they will never know until they give it a go.

“Fuck it, why not?” he laughs. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“He’s _your_ brother.”

* * *

When Ubbe had gone downstairs to talk to Hvitserk, he hadn’t been there. So Ubbe and Margrethe had spent the afternoon together, and for the first time in a long time, it had felt just like old times. But just as they are about to put on another movie, the front door opens, and Hvitserk comes in. He peeks into the living room, but when he sees Ubbe and Margrethe, snuggled up on the couch, he wants to quietly leave again. But they have already noticed him.

“Have you got a minute?” Ubbe asks, all of the sudden feeling nervous. Because what if he brings up his and Margrethe’s idea, and Hvitserk shuts it down, he laughs at it, or worse, he is offended by the idea?

“Sure.” Hvitserk shrugs, flashing a smile, but Ubbe can see the nerves hiding behind it. And when Margrethe gets up and leaves the room, and Hvitserk sits down on the couch, Ubbe can see that he is struggling to steady his breath.

“We’re not kicking you out,” Ubbe quickly says. “Margrethe, she…”

“What’s going on?”

“What if…”

“What?” Hvitserk asks, looking over to the stairs, before looking back at his brother. “Ubbe?”

“She’s up there,” Ubbe explains. “Waiting for us. Both of us.”

“Wait, you mean…,” Hvitserk laughs, but when he sees his brother’s face, he doesn’t need to wait for the answer. “Is that what you want to do?”

“It was her idea.”

“I figured,” Hvitserk laughs. “She’s…”

“Mad.”

“She is. So this… is this supposed to be a one-time thing, or…?”

“I don’t know.”

“I suppose all of this will have to stop once you’re married anyway,” Hvitserk says, and as soon as he hears the words, Ubbe can feel a sharp sting going through his body. “I can’t wait for the wedding, but you know I’ll be losing both of you, don’t you?”

Ubbe wraps his arms around his brother, and he holds him as tight as he possibly can, not wanting to let go. Not yet.

“Nothing is ever going to come between us, brother. I won’t let that happen.”

Ubbe can feel Hvitserk clinging onto him, but when they hear a door getting slammed shut upstairs, they let go of each other, and they share a knowing smile.

“She is waiting for us.”

“Is this really what you want?” Hvitserk asks, and Ubbe hesitates for a moment, but when he considers saying no, when he considers not taking this chance, he knows he will end up regretting it. “I’m up for it, you know I am, but…,” Hvitserk quickly adds, and Ubbe can’t help but laugh.

“You’re up for anything, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea.” Hvitserk grins, before pressing his lips against Ubbe’s. Ubbe is taken aback for a moment, but he returns the kiss, any hesitation that had still been left, now gone.

They go up the stairs, and they find Margrethe sitting on the bed, looking a little impatient.

“Are you in then?” she asks, and Ubbe can feel his brother looking at him, asking for reassurance once again.

“He’s in,” Ubbe says, as he wraps an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “But if any of us want out…”

“What? You want a safe word?” Margrethe asks, a mocking tone in her voice. “Afraid you’ll…”

“I don’t think we need that, do we?” Ubbe interrupts her. “I’m just saying, if this doesn’t work out, we go back to the way things were. No hard feelings.”

“No hard feelings.”

* * *

Ubbe is sitting at the bar in the kitchen, having breakfast, thinking about last night. He had felt such a rush, as he had watched Margrethe and Hvitserk kiss, as he had watched them touch each other. As he had been let into their world. As Margrethe had touched him, while being fucked by Hvitserk. He still remembers the way it had felt, fucking Hvitserk, while Hvitserk had gone down on Margrethe. Just being there, in that moment, as he had felt his brother, as he had watched him go down on his fiancée, it had made him feel something he had never felt before.

It had taken him hours to fall asleep afterwards, and when he had found Hvitserk and Margrethe still fast asleep at his side this morning, it had made him want to call in sick for work and stay with them for the rest of the day, week, year. But he had quietly left the bed, and he had gone down for breakfast, knowing that he can’t put off returning to the real world.

But when he hears Hvitserk coming into the kitchen, he almost wishes he was out there now, in the real world. Hvitserk sits down with him, and he steals a piece of his toast, before flashing a big grin.

“You seem happy.”

“I am. You’re not?”

“Just a little tired,” Ubbe shrugs. “Is Margrethe…?”

“Still sleeping. I ehm…,” Hvitserk begins, but when he looks out through the window, a blush now on his face, Ubbe can’t help but smile.

“Do we have to talk about it?”

“I don’t know, do we?” Hvitserk asks, but Ubbe just shrugs. “I don’t want to mess things up for you and Margrethe, so if…”

“It was her idea.”

“I know. But you know what she’s like.”

“I do.” Ubbe agrees, before flashing a reassuring smile. “We’re all good, brother. I promise.”

* * *

When Ubbe comes home from work, he hears voices coming from the kitchen. He knows Margrethe is out with Torvi and Lagertha to buy some things for the wedding, and he isn’t used to Hvitserk having anyone over. So he quietly sneaks into the hallway, so he can hear who is in the kitchen with his brother. He is half expecting Hvitserk to have brought home a date, but when he hears Ivar’s voice, he can’t help but laugh at himself for being so wrong.

He is about to step into the kitchen, but when he hears his youngest brother’s voice again, he decides to stay in the hallway just a little longer.

“So what is the deal with you and Ubbe?”

“There is no deal with me and Ubbe,” Hvitserk says. “You know what happened, and…”

“That wasn’t a joke then?”

“No.”

“You are actually hooking up with your own brother?” Ivar asks. “That is sick.”

“Whatever, Ivar,” Hvitserk says, and Ubbe can hear that he isn’t taking their brother’s judgment to heart, that he’ll be able to laugh it off later. “It’s not really any of your business, is it?”

“What do you think people will say when they find out?”

“And how will they find out exactly?”

“I don’t know. Ubbe told _us_ , didn’t he?” Ivar asks, before continuing. “If people hear about you and him hooking up, what do you think they’ll say about me, huh?”

“Nothing. Because you have nothing to do with the fact that we’re…”

“You’re what? Please tell me this is not still happening.”

“So what if it is?” Hvitserk asks, and Ubbe can’t help but smile at the confident determination in his voice. “If we want to fuck, that’s our choice.”

“It’s disgusting, Hvitserk.”

“I don’t care.”

“What about Margrethe?”

“You were there. She knows about it. She’s…”

“How can she be okay with this?” Ivar spits out. “You’re brothers for fuck sake!”

Ubbe decides to step into the kitchen, and as expected, Hvitserk is sitting at the kitchen table, as calm as anything, while Ivar is pacing up and down the room, having wound himself up over this so much, that his face has turned a dark shade of red.

“You disgust me!” Ivar spits out, and he steps up to Ubbe, but Ubbe walks straight past him, and he gives Hvitserk a kiss on the lips, before pouring himself a coffee, completely ignoring Ivar, who looks like he is about to explode.

“Why are you here, Ivar?” Ubbe finally asks, not willing to give him the reaction he wants.

“Dad asked me to drop off the chairs for the wedding. But how can you go through with the wedding when you’re…”

“When I’m what?” Ubbe asks, “When I’m fucking Hvitserk?”

“You’re sick!” Ivar spits out. “You know that, don’t you? This… it’s sick!”

“I think it’s best if you go now,” Ubbe says. “And next time you come to our house and speak to us like that again…”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I am.”

Ivar opens his mouth to speak again, but when he sees his brothers standing side by side, he changes his mind. So he storms out, slamming the door behind him.

“Let’s hope he’ll keep his mouth shut at the wedding.”

“He’s just doing it to get a reaction. I doubt he actually cares.” Ubbe shrugs. “You know what he’s like. Now, Margrethe won’t be home for another hour or so, so…”

“What are you suggesting, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

There are only two weeks to go until the wedding, and Ubbe had known that this would be a stressful time. But he had not counted on the fact that Hvitserk would get the flu, and that Margrethe would turn into an absolutely nightmare, not only over the wedding, but over Christmas as well.

The three of them were meant to spend Christmas Eve together, then spend Christmas day with the family. But Hvitserk is in bed with a fever, and it’s clear that he can’t go spend a full day with the whole family. He had been meaning to come out of bed to spend Christmas Eve with Ubbe and Margrethe though, but the minute Margrethe had found out, she had thrown a fit. She was not willing to risk getting the flu too, so close to the wedding, and the fact that Ubbe is not willing to avoid Hvitserk, it has caused so many arguments over the last week, that Ubbe has lost count.

“What are you doing?” Margrethe asks, when Ubbe is about to go up the stairs. “I thought we were going to watch a movie?”

“We were, but my brother is up there, on his own, because of you.”

“Because he’s ill. That is not my fault!”

“I am not going to leave him on his own for Christmas.”

“I’m your fiancée!” Margrethe spits out, and Ubbe can’t help but laugh. “You can’t leave me!”

“Fine, then I’ll go see if he can come down and join us.”

“And risk our wedding?”

“He’s my brother, Margrethe,” Ubbe says, and Margrethe opens her mouth to object, but she knows that she cannot win this argument. So she grabs her phone, throws on a coat, and storms out of the house. Ubbe knows exactly where she’s going, and for a moment he considers giving Bjorn and Torvi a call to warn them, but he decides against it, and instead runs up the stairs. He goes into Hvitserk’s room, making sure not to make a sound, in case he’s asleep. But Hvitserk is awake, and he gets a grin on his face when he sees Ubbe.

“She’s not happy.”

“She’ll get over it.” Ubbe shrugs, before climbing into bed with Hvitserk. “I won’t leave you up here on your own on Christmas Eve.”

“You know she’ll kill me if you get the flu, don’t you?”

“Don’t worry,” Ubbe says, and his brother raises an eyebrow. “She’ll kill me first.”

“She will!” Hvitserk laughs, but then a gloss comes over his eyes, and Ubbe can tell that he has something on his mind. So he grabs his hand, and he can feel him shivering, but he isn’t sure if it’s from the fever or from nerves.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been looking at apartments.”

“You’re moving out?”

“I was only meant to stay for a couple of weeks. Not months, I…”

“I don’t want you to go,” Ubbe says, not even hiding the hurt in this voice. “Having you here…”

“You’re getting married in two weeks, Ubbe. After that, things are going back to…”

“What? Normal?” Ubbe suggests, but Hvitserk just sighs. “I think we’re beyond that, don’t you?”

“When I’m gone, the two of you can finally have your own life.”

“Did something happen? Did Margrethe say something? Is this because of what Ivar said the other week?”

“No. But we always knew that this was going to stop once you were getting married. I…,” Hvitserk begins, but he begins coughing, and it takes him a minute to catch his breath. “It has to stop, Ubbe.”

Ubbe nods, but he feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest. The thought of losing Hvitserk, of losing the bond they have now, it makes him feel hollow inside. Like he is losing a part of himself. But how can he tell his brother that?

* * *

Hvitserk is still recovering from the flu, but he is pretending to be all better, so Margrethe will stop picking fights with Ubbe. Ubbe can see right through his act though, and when Margrethe isn’t watching, he is still checking on his brother, making sure he isn’t overdoing it.

But it’s New Year’s Eve tonight, and Ragnar and Lagertha are having a party for the whole family, and Ubbe had tried to convince Hvitserk that it would be better for them all to stay home. Hvitserk had put on a brave face though, and he had convinced Ubbe that he was feeling just fine.

As Midnight is coming closer though, Hvitserk can feel himself starting to burn up again, and all he wants to do is go home and get into bed. He can see Ubbe and Margrethe dancing with the others, and he knows that for the first time in weeks, and most likely the last time until the wedding, they are relaxing, not a care in the world.

He steps out into the backyard, hoping that the cold air will make him feel a little better, but when he hears footsteps behind him, he jumps up.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me,” Ragnar says, a worried smile on his face. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to give you a ride home? Or you can go upstairs, get your head down for a minute,” Ragnar suggests. “I can wake you up before midnight.”

“That’s fine, I just need some fresh air.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hvitserk says, but it does matter. It matters a lot. His insides feel all wrong, and he feels like he is about to burst into tears, and when he turns to look back into the house, and he sees Ubbe and Margrethe sharing a kiss, it feels like he is getting kicked in the gut.

“The wedding?” Ragnar asks, but Hvitserk can only nod. “Are you still… are you and Margrethe…”

“Yes.”

“And you and Ubbe?”

“Yes,” Hvitserk admits, finally turning back to face his father. “I’m scared to lose them, dad. What we have now, it’s going to stop after the wedding, and I know it has to, but…”

“Are you jealous?”

“I don’t know,” Hvitserk admits, an embarrassed look on his face.

“Jealous of Ubbe, or jealous of Margrethe?” Ragnar asks, and as soon as Hvitserk hears the words, he feels like running away. But there is no running away from this conversation, and Hvitserk knows that his father isn’t judging him. Not really.

“Both, I guess.”

Ragnar sighs, but he gives a small, understanding nod.

“I’m happy for them though,” Hvitserk goes on. “It’s not that I don’t want them to get married, because I do. I know how much Ubbe loves her, and I want him to be happy, but…”

“Spit it out.”

“There’s something about her, dad. She has changed. You saw the way Ubbe was when he told you we…”

“Yeah, I remember,” Ragnar quickly says, “It’s not like your brother to let someone get to him. Not even Margrethe.”

“It’s like she wants to pick a fight with him, and maybe that works for them, but she just seems…”

“And your brother?”

“He loves her.” Hvitserk shrugs. “No matter what she does. The meaner she gets, the more he seems to like her.”

“Is she really that bad?”

“She’s mad, dad. You hear these things about wives going mad, and tearing up their husband’s things, just because he got home late?”

“I can only imagine what she’ll do when she finds out he’s sleeping with you then,” Ragnar says, a grin on his face. “Oh wait.”

“It was her idea for us to…”

“To what? It didn’t seem like her idea when he told her.”

“No, it wasn’t. Not at first,” Hvitserk admits. “But then it was her idea for us to… you know… the three of us…”

“Hvitserk! Please tell me you’re not… seriously?” Ragnar sighs, before rolling his eyes. “So what, you share a bed with them?”

“Yeah, but…”

“So when they get married…?”

“I am losing both of them,” Hvitserk admits. “I have to move out, and whatever we had, it’s done.”

“What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”

“I love them, dad.”

Ragnar opens his mouth to speak, but then he just wraps his arms around his son, and he gives him a big hug. He kisses the top of his head, wanting to comfort him, to make him happy again. But he is worried for his son, now more than ever before.

* * *

When Ubbe comes home from work, a few days before the wedding, Margrethe is waiting for him in the living room. She doesn’t even give him the chance to take off his coat, before she drags him onto the couch, and she blurts out what she has been keeping in all day.

“I’ve got no one to give me away!”

“Yeah, I know, but…”

“You know? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought I had thought of everything, but I…”

“I figured you’d walk down the aisle yourself. It’s not like we’re getting married in a church or something.” Ubbe shrugs. He has gotten so used to Margrethe freaking out over anything and everything by now, that he doesn’t even realise that this actually means a lot to her, that this isn’t the same as her getting the wrong colour socks for him, or the fact that the flowers turned out to be more expensive than planned. This is a big deal.

“I’ve got no one, Ubbe!”

“We can ask if my dad wants to do it,” Ubbe suggests.

“Ragnar is already marrying us! He can’t give me away!”

“Lagertha then?”

“I don’t know,” Margrethe says, but it’s obviously a no.

“What about Hvitserk?” Ubbe then suggests, and his fiancée stares at him for the longest time. He fears he might have just made a big mistake suggesting his brother give her away, but when a small smile forms on her lips, he breathes a sigh of relief.

“Do you think he’d be willing to do it?”

“I don’t see why not,” Ubbe says, but then he looks down at his hands. “Did you know he’s been looking at apartments?”

“He is leaving us?”

There is such hurt in Margrethe’s voice, that Ubbe can’t help but look at her. And when he sees the hurt, offended look on her face, he wonders what she had been expecting to happen after the wedding.

“He is.”

“Why?” Margrethe asks. “Doesn’t he want to be with us anymore?”

“I don’t think that’s the reason why he’s leaving. But once we’re married, he knows we can’t…”

“Why not?”

“Because we’ll be married.”

“Did you tell him to leave?” Margrethe asks, “I thought this was working, I thought…”

“Are you in love with him?”

“Are you?” Margrethe spits out, but Ubbe just looks at her, not willing to give her the reaction she wants. “We are happy like this, aren’t we?”

“We are, but…”

“Why would you go and ruin that?” Margrethe asks, her eyes filled with fire. Ubbe almost tells her that he would give an arm and a leg for Hvitserk to stay, that this is definitely not his choice, but he isn’t willing to throw his brother under the bus. So he just keeps quiet, and lets his fiancée rage on. “Do you want me to be here on my own again all day? I have nothing to do all day, Ubbe!”

“Then why don’t you get a job, huh?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“If you’re so unhappy, go and do something useful. Clean the house for once, or…”

“I am not a cleaner, Ubbe!” Margrethe spits out. “I am your fiancée, not your slave!”

“My slave? When have I ever treated you like a slave? I work day and night to pay for this place, and you sit around all day, doing nothing. Then when I get home, you…”

“Fuck you, Ubbe!”

Margrethe gets up, and she storms off, leaving Ubbe feeling terrible. He knows he has no right to raise his voice to her, that she is just stressed out over the wedding. But he is tired, and upset, and the words had come out before he could even stop himself. So he gets up, and he follows Margrethe into the kitchen, but when he opens his mouth to speak, she grabs a glass from the sink, and she throws it at him, only just missing his face.

“What the hell?”

“Don’t ever speak like that to me again!”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Ubbe begins. “I’ll try and make more time for you, I…”

“I hated being here on my own. At least Hvitserk spends time with me.”

“I know.” Ubbe sighs. “But he can’t stay here forever. He has his own life, Margrethe. So do we.”

Ubbe can see that Margrethe knows that he is right, deep down, and when she stares out of the window, he steps up to her, and he wraps his arms around her, holding her as tight as he possibly can.

“We’ll figure it out, okay?”

* * *

“What is going on here?” Hvitserk laughs, when he finds Ubbe and Margrethe waiting for him in the kitchen later that day. “Should I be worried?”

“Sit down,” Ubbe says, and he can see the nerves hiding behind his brother’s grin.

“We want to ask you something.”

“Right…”

“Would you be willing to walk me down the aisle?” Margrethe asks, and for a moment, Ubbe can see how nervous she is. How important this is to her. How important Hvitserk is to her. But when Hvitserk lets out a chuckle, she toughens up. “It’s not a joke!”

“I’m sorry, I just…”

“If you don’t want to do it, I can ask someone else.”

“No!” Hvitserk quickly says. “Of course I’ll walk you down the aisle. I’d be honoured to, I just… I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Yes, well, just make sure to not mess it up,” Margrethe says, and Ubbe and Hvitserk share a knowing smile. “I mean it! If you mess this up…”

“I know. Don’t worry, I think I can remember how to walk.”

“This is not a joke, Hvitserk!”

* * *

That night Margrethe is already in bed, but Ubbe and Hvitserk are sitting in front of the fire, having a drink.

“I was thinking…”

“What?”

“Do you want me to try and invite mum to the wedding?” Hvitserk asks. “I still have her number. I know she didn’t return my call, but maybe if she hears you’re getting married…”

“I don’t want to see her, Hvitserk,” Ubbe says, and Hvitserk nods. “I can’t forgive her.”

“Dad said she had her reasons to leave.”

“I don’t care. Sigurd and Ivar were too young to remember now, but I still remember coming home from school and her being gone,” Ubbe admits. “I remember dad trying to put on a brave face as he sat us down to tell us that our mother had left us. She…”

“I remember too.”

“I know,” Ubbe nods. “and I can’t forgive her for what she did to you, Hvitserk. I know you’re still hurting because of her.”

“I just want to know why.”

“What reason can justify her leaving us?” Ubbe asks, but when he sees the hurt look on his brother’s face, he sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re right,” Hvitserk says, “There is no good reason for her to leave. If I ever have kids, I will never leave them, I will…”

“Do you want to have kids?”

“Of course,” Hvitserk says, a small smile now on his face. But then he starts blushing, and Ubbe can’t help but laugh.

“With Margrethe?”

“Maybe, years ago,” Hvitserk admits. “But not anymore. Now I’m okay with being Uncle Hvitserk.”

“Uncle Hvitserk?” Ubbe laughs, his heart making a little jump at the thought. “And is there a mister or mrs. Uncle Hvitserk in this future of yours?”

“Not yet.”

“What about a date for the wedding?” Ubbe asks, but when the blush on his brother’s face grows darker, he can’t help but smile. “Afraid Margrethe will get jealous?”

“You know she would throw a fit.”

“True,” Ubbe laughs. “But I’d be happy for you. You deserve to be happy, Hvitserk.”

“I am.”

“Yeah?” Ubbe asks, and Hvitserk hesitates for a moment, but then he flashes a shy smile, and he nods.

“Yeah, I am.”


	6. Chapter 6

The night before the wedding Ubbe had gone out with his family and friends to celebrate his last night as an unmarried man. They had had a drink, done karaoke, and Ragnar had nearly gotten them kicked out when he had climbed on top of the bar to dance. Ubbe couldn’t have asked for a better night, and they had gone on until the early morning hours.

It’s early morning now, and Ubbe is getting married in only a matter of hours, but he doesn’t want to go to sleep. He is fully aware that everything is going to change today, that tonight will be the last night that he and Hvitserk will be able to share a bed. He can tell that Hvitserk knows it too, because when they get upstairs, Hvitserk hesitates as he is about to go into his own bedroom.

“I should ehm…”

“Stay with me, please,” Ubbe whispers, afraid that if he speaks the words any louder, they will somehow lose their meaning.

Hvitserk gives a small nod, before following his brother into the bedroom. Margrethe is staying at Torvi’s and Bjorn’s tonight, because she didn’t want to spend the night before the wedding with Ubbe. Ubbe had objected to it, thinking it was stupid and old-fashioned superstition, but now he’s grateful that she isn’t here. Grateful that it has given him just a few more hours with Hvitserk.

Without words, they get out of their clothes, and into bed, but there’s a nervous atmosphere in the room. Ubbe can’t help but think of the first time they had slept together. He had been nervous, but something had just felt right, had made sense. Yet tonight, something feels wrong. Perhaps it’s the knowing that this is the last time that they get to do this, the knowing that this is an end instead of a beginning.

“You’re shivering,” Hvitserk whispers, as he caresses Ubbe’s chest with just the tip of his fingers. Ubbe can only nod, but when Hvitserk ever so carefully starts to kiss his neck, his jaw, his lips, he can feel himself starting to choke up.

“Do you want me to stop?” Hvitserk whispers, but Ubbe shakes his head, struggling to keep his tears in. “What’s wrong? Are you nervous about the wedding?”

“I don’t want to lose you,” Ubbe admits, and a tense silence follows. So far they had managed to leave things unspoken, to keep it up in the air, but Ubbe’s words have just made it obvious that that is no longer possible.

“This should never have happened.”

“No, it shouldn’t,” Ubbe agrees. “But it did. I wanted it to.”

“Me too,” Hvitserk admits, a small, shy smile on his face. “But I hate seeing you like this.”

“I’m scared that once you move out, we’ll…”

“Nothing is going to change,” Hvitserk quickly says. “Well, this is, but…” He sighs. “You’ll always be my brother.”

“I’m scared you’re going to regret this, and you’re going to run away,” Ubbe admits, having kept it to himself all this time, but when Hvitserk places a hand on the side of his face, such a warm, reassuring smile on his face, he realises that he should have said something a long time ago.

“I will never regret this, Ubbe. I swear to you that this has only made me feel closer to you, and don’t you dare think that me moving out means that I am running away. I’m not, okay?”

“I can’t lose you.”

“You’re not,” Hvitserk whispers, before kissing him. Ubbe kisses him back, feeling somewhat reassured, but with every kiss, every touch, a voice in the back of his mind tells him that this is the last time they are doing this. The last time Hvitserk is caressing the inside of his thigh, the last time Hvitserk is kissing his neck. The last time he gets to be with his brother like this, and it makes him feel shattered.

* * *

Last night, or rather, when Ubbe and Hvitserk had had sex hours ago, it had been heartbreaking, and it had ended with tears. They had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, but it hadn’t been a restful sleep, and when the alarm clock had gone off, the two brothers had woken up tired and uneasy.

They had had breakfast in silence, before Ubbe had gone upstairs to get changed. Hvitserk had stayed downstairs, as people had started arriving to help set up for the wedding. No one had noticed the awkward tense atmosphere, they had all simply gotten on with their work for the day.

But Ubbe is upstairs now, fully aware that there is less than half an hour to go until the wedding begins. He is pacing up and down the room, unable to sit still. There is an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and at first he had thought that the feeling had to do with what had happened last night with Hvitserk, but as the hours had gone on, he had gotten more and more uneasy about the wedding, about Margrethe. He hasn’t heard from her all morning, and although he knows that they had agreed not to talk before the wedding, something just doesn’t feel right about it.

“Are you ready?” Hvitserk asks, as he steps into the room. He closes the door behind him, and when he turns around, looking more handsome than ever before, Ubbe can’t help but stare at him. “What?” Hvitserk laughs, a little uneasy.

“You look…,” Ubbe begins, but then he just steps up to his brother, and he wraps his arms around him, pulling him close.

“Yeah? You’d fuck me?”

“You know I would,” Ubbe laughs, before kissing his neck, and letting go of him. He sees the blush on Hvitserk’s face, and the tension from last night is still there, but something feels different. Knowing that they are able to joke around again, it makes him feel reassured that this has not torn them apart, and it won’t.

“Would you…”

“What?”

“Would you plait my hair?” Hvitserk asks, and the corners of his brother’s mouth curl up into a smile. “Do you remember…”

“I remember them all,” Ubbe laughs, remembering all the plaits he and Hvitserk had come up with when they were younger. “Are you sure?”

Hvitserk sits down on the bed, and Ubbe sits down behind him, before taking out the simple plait Hvitserk has done himself. Ubbe is grateful for this moment that he and his brother get to share before the big day, and as he brushes his fingers through Hvitserk’s hair, he can feel himself getting choked up.

“Promise me you’ll never cut your hair short,” Ubbe whispers.

“Why?” Hvitserk laughs, but when he turns his head, and he sees the tears in his brother’s eyes, he realises that it’s not a joke. “I won’t.”

Ubbe leans forward, and he presses a small, careful kiss against his lips. Hvitserk then turns his head, and Ubbe brushes his fingers through his hair once more, before plaiting his hair, making sure to make him look his very best.

“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Hvitserk whispers, as they get up. They now stand face to face, and Hvitserk brushes some fluff off Ubbe’s suit, before continuing. “If you’d have told me, all those years ago…”

“You would have kicked my ass?”

“No,” Hvitserk laughs. “But yes, I was hoping I would be the one to marry her. But I’m glad she chose you.”

“Thank you,” Ubbe whispers, but Hvitserk turns to look at the door. “I…”

Ubbe doesn’t get a chance to say anything else, because Hvitserk turns back to face him, and he grabs his dick, and even through the fabric of his trousers, his touch takes Ubbe’s breath away.

Hvitserk starts stroking Ubbe’s dick, a confident grin on his face, and it’s that look in his eyes, the knowing what he is doing, knowing how he is making him feel right now, that gets to Ubbe. It lights a fire in him, and he presses his lips against Hvitserk’s so hard, that it nearly knocks him over.

“One last time then?” Hvitserk laughs, his hand still stroking Ubbe’s dick, working to get him hard. “For old times’ sake?”

“Fuck!” Ubbe cries out, as he grabs Hvitserk by his jacket. He pushes him up against the wall, before kissing him again, their tongues trying to take in as much of each other as possible. But then Ubbe steps away, and he looks down.

“Come on then, we haven’t got all day,” Hvitserk laughs. “Your fiancée is probably on her way here, as we speak.”

Ubbe kicks off his shoes, before undoing his trousers, and letting them drop to the floor. He knows they will be a crumpled mess, but right now he couldn’t care less.

“Lie down on the bed,” Hvitserk says, and Ubbe does as he is told. But when he looks down, and he sees his wedding shirt, his wedding jacket, he can’t help but laugh.

Hvitserk gets out of his clothes, keeping on only his shirt, and after grabbing the lubricant, he climbs onto the bed, the grin still on his face.

Ubbe gasps for air when he feels the cold lubricant, as Hvitserk spreads it out on his dick, his touch now gentle, almost careful. Ubbe watches Hvitserk, as he lowers himself onto his dick, and just seeing his face, when his dick enters him, it makes Ubbe feel things he didn’t think he would ever feel again, especially not after last night.

Hvitserk starts riding him, and Ubbe can tell that he is trying his best to keep quiet, but soft moans are coming out of his mouth every now and then, and when Ubbe grabs hold of his dick, he moans so loud, that Ubbe is sure that people downstairs must have heard. He doesn’t care though, not when he sees the pure pleasure on his brother’s face.

He starts stroking his dick, wanting to make him come, wanting to see him come, but then the door flies open, and Ragnar comes in.

“Are you… oh shit!” he says, and he quickly turns around. “I was going to ask if you are ready, but obviously not. Can I tell them you’ll be down in ten minutes?”

“Sure,” Ubbe says, fully aware that his dick is inside Hvitserk right now, that Hvitserk’s hard dick is in his hand, that their father has just walked in on them. That he has just seen them. But what can he do?

“Okay, then I ehm… I’ll leave you to it,” Ragnar says, his back still turned to his sons. “And ehm… get cleaned up before you join us, yeah?”

Ragnar quickly leaves, closing the door behind him, and when Ubbe looks up at Hvitserk, he half expects him to be freaking out, but Hvitserk just bursts out laughing.

“We better hurry up then, huh?” he laughs, his face so flushed, beads of sweat on his forehead, but nothing but pure pleasure and joy in his eyes.

“I love you,” Ubbe blurts out, and the grin on his brother’s face grows even bigger.

“I love you too.”

Hvitserk picks up the pace, riding Ubbe’s dick, and Ubbe can tell that he is trying to get him to his wedding on time, but right now Ubbe couldn’t care less. He can tell that Hvitserk won’t last much longer though, and as he strokes his dick again, he comes.

Hvitserk closes his eyes, and he leans his head back, as Ubbe gently keeps stroking him. He is fully aware that there is cum on his wedding shirt and wedding jacket now, but it gives him a sense of pride, a sense of excitement when he looks down and he sees it there.

But when Hvitserk opens his eyes and he sees it, he gets a guilty look on his face.

“Margrethe is going to kill me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got more shirts.” Ubbe shrugs. He flashes a reassuring smile, and when he bucks his hips up ever so slightly, Hvitserk gets the hint. He continues riding Ubbe’s dick, as he is still trying to catch his breath, and when Ubbe sees a bead of sweat rolling down his neck, down his shirt, it’s enough to make him come.

Hvitserk lies down next to him, and he kisses his neck, before bringing his mouth up to his ear.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” he whispers, and Ubbe turns his head to face him, raising an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I’ll be walking Margrethe down the aisle, with your cum still inside of me,” Hvitserk whispers, something in his grin that makes Ubbe want to both kiss him and punch him at the same time.

“I thought Margrethe was the mad one,” Ubbe laughs, before kissing him, and getting up out of bed. He takes his jacket and his shirt off, and he throws them in the corner of the room, before grabbing a shirt he normally wears for work, and putting it on.

“She’ll kill you if you’re not wearing a jacket.”

“I can’t go out wearing that! Have you seen it?” Ubbe laughs. “She’ll survive.”

“Take my jacket,” Hvitserk suggests, but the colour clashes with Ubbe’s trousers, so he knows there would be no point. It would be just as bad as not wearing a jacket to Margrethe.

So they quickly get dressed, before going downstairs and outside, where everyone is waiting for the wedding to begin.

“You are looking a little… flushed,” Lagertha laughs when she sees them, a knowing smile on her face.

“You told her?”

“I had to tell someone,” Ragnar says. “It’s not every day you walk in on your two sons going at it.”

“Thanks, dad.” Ubbe rolls his eyes, but his father just shrugs.

“Where’s your jacket?” Lagertha asks, as Torvi and Bjorn join them. “You look…”

“You can’t get married like that,”

“That’s not your wedding shirt, is it?” Torvi asks. “What the hell happened? You look like you’ve just…,” she begins, but when she realises what it means, the two of them looking flushed, she keeps quiet.

“There was an accident, so I had to change shirts. Margrethe will understand.”

“No, she won’t,” Torvi says. “Do you know how much time she spent picking out your suit?”

“Here, take my jacket,” Bjorn suggests, already taking his jacket off and handing it to his brother. “And have a drink or something, cool off before…,” he continues, but when they hear the honking off a car, they realise that Margrethe is already here.

“This is it, brother. No going back now,” Hvitserk whispers, a big smile on his face, before going back into the house to greet Margrethe.

Ubbe takes his place, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He had been so sure when he had asked Margrethe to marry him, and not once had he had doubts throughout their engagement, but something just doesn’t feel right. His father seems to notice, because he has a worried look on his face. Ubbe tries to shrug it off, but when the music starts, and he sees Margrethe stepping out of the house, arm in arm with Hvitserk, his legs nearly give out.

Hvitserk has the biggest, proudest smile on his face, but there is something in Margrethe’s face that confirms Ubbe’s worries. She isn’t smiling, she doesn’t look happy. Her face is blank. Ubbe tries to tell himself that it’s the nerves, but he knows her better than that.

“Thank you,” he whispers, as Hvitserk hands Margrethe’s arm over to him. Hvitserk gives a nod, before giving Margrethe a kiss on the cheek. He sits down in between Sigurd and Bjorn, and Ubbe turns back to face his fiancée, hoping to find some kind of reassurance in her face. But the blank look has been replaced with guilt, and deep down he knows what it means.

“Are you okay?” he whispers, “Do you want to go inside to talk?”

“I can’t marry you,” Margrethe says, not even trying to keep her voice down. A gasp can be heard coming from their friends and family, but Ubbe can’t face them. Not right now.

“What?”

“I don’t want to marry you, Ubbe.”

“You’ve only just realised that now?” Ubbe asks. “You couldn’t have told me that before today?”

“I wasn’t sure,” Margrethe shrugs, but the words don’t even get through to Ubbe. “I can’t go back to the way things were.”

“Is this because of…,” Ubbe begins, but he is aware of everyone listening to their every word, and he knows that he can’t say what he wants to say. “What does this mean?”

“I’m sorry, Ubbe.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Margrethe shrugs, before turning and walking off, leaving him standing there, feeling like someone has just paused the entire world, because his brain can’t seem to process what has just happened. It isn’t until Hvitserk comes up to him, and he wraps his arms around him, that Ubbe feels like he is coming back to life.

“I’m so sorry,” Hvitserk whispers, but Ubbe is unable to say a word, as the tears start rolling down his face. He can feel his family gathering around him, he can feel their arms around him, he can hear their words, but nothing seems to get through to him. Not really.


	7. Chapter 7

Ragnar and Lagertha had quickly gotten rid of most of the guests, while the brothers and Torvi had sat down with Ubbe to try and distract him, to try and comfort him. It hadn’t helped much, but he had appreciated their effort, and as they had all gathered together to eat, it had brought him to tears, just seeing how much his family cared for him, how protective they are of him.

But they had to leave at some point, and when the silence had come, Ubbe had broken down. He had grabbed the bottles of booze that were in the house for the wedding party, and he had drank as much as he could, before he had started feeling sick.

Hvitserk had left him to it, knowing that this is something he had to do, but he had stayed in the other room to keep an eye on his brother.

Ubbe is now lying on the rug in front of the fire, and Hvitserk quietly goes to check on him, to see if he’s asleep. But Ubbe isn’t, and he opens his eyes when he hears him.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Hvitserk admits, as he kneels down at his side. “I had no idea, Ubbe, I thought…”

“I know.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I thought she loved me!”

“She does. She’s just…”

“Unhappy! I make her unhappy, Hvitserk!” Ubbe spits out, but he sounds more heartbroken than angry. “I can’t give her what she needs!”

“Maybe she’ll change her mind. Just try and talk to her tomorrow, or…”

“She doesn’t want me. She wants you!”

“She doesn’t.” Hvitserk sighs. He brushes Ubbe’s undone hair out of his face, behind his ear, and he flashes a small smile. “Why don’t you try and get some sleep, huh?”

“I’m sleeping here.”

“Sure.”

Hvitserk gets up, and he grabs a blanket from the cupboard, before laying it down over his brother. He then goes to put out the fire, but when he turns around, Ubbe is sitting up and staring at him.

“Stay with me?”

“I don’t think…”

“I don’t want to fuck,” Ubbe says, and Hvitserk can’t help but laugh. “What?”

“Good, because neither do I. But I’ll stay with you.”

Hvitserk lies down with his brother, wrapping his arms around him, hoping to give him some comfort. He knows he can’t fix what happened today, but he knows he will do whatever he can to try.

But when he hears Ubbe sniffling, he wraps his arms around him tighter, and he kisses the top of his head.

“I love her, Hvitserk,” Ubbe sniffles, and Hvitserk sighs, wishing he would have been wrong about Margrethe. Wishing she had proven him wrong.

“I know you do.”

* * *

Hvitserk is in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, when Ubbe comes in, his face as pale as that of a ghost. He sits down at the bar, before burying his face in his hands, letting out a groan.

“How’s your head?”

“Killing me,” Ubbe groans. “Did Margrethe…,” he begins, but he swallows back the rest of the words. Hvitserk knows what he was going to ask though.

“She didn’t come home. I texted Torvi, but she didn’t stay there. Maybe she stayed with friends, or…”

“What if she has someone else?”

“I doubt it. Why don’t you call her, try to meet up to talk about it?” Hvitserk suggests, but Ubbe just shrugs. “She’s probably embarrassed to reach out.”

“She should be.”

“Call her, Ubbe.”

* * *

Ubbe has been putting off making the phone call all day, but he knows he can’t put it off any longer. A part of him had been hoping that Margrethe would show up at the house today, but she didn’t show up, and he hasn’t heard anything from her.

So he goes out to the lake, and he sits down on one of the chairs that is still left there from the wedding. He takes a deep breath before calling Margrethe, preparing himself for the worst, but somehow still hoping for the best. Hoping that Margrethe will apologise, that she will beg him for forgiveness, that she will tell him she still wants to marry him. That she has made a mistake.

“What do you want, Ubbe?”

“We need to talk about what happened yesterday.”

“Do we?” Margrethe asks, her voice so cold, so uninterested, that Ubbe almost wishes he hadn’t called her. “I told you yesterday, I don’t want to marry you.”

“Why don’t you come home? We can…”

“I don’t want to be in that place anymore, Ubbe!” Margrethe says. “I hate it there!”

Ubbe tries to tell himself that she doesn’t mean it, that she is just upset, but deep down he knows she does mean it. It hurts him more than he can put into words, because for the last years, he has given it his all to be able to build the house, and to hear that she hates it, it makes him feel like he has wasted his time, his energy. It makes him feel like if he hadn’t tried so hard, and they had lived somewhere else, Margrethe would have been happier. It makes him feel like this is all his fault.

“We can move someplace else,” he suggests, but there is no answer. “Please, I…”

“I need time.”

“Time for what?”

“I don’t know, Ubbe,” Margrethe admits, but Ubbe knows what this means.

“What about Paris?”

“I’m not going on our honeymoon. You go, I don’t care.”

“I’ll try to get a refund, we can go another time, or…”

“Don’t do this,” Margrethe says, but Ubbe has to try. He needs to know he has given it his all to try and save his relationship. “I’ll come pick up my things when you’re at work.”

“Your things? But…”

Ubbe knows that this is really happening, but it doesn’t seem real. Just yesterday, he thought he was going to marry Margrethe, and now she is moving out. And there is nothing he can do to stop it. He can hear Margrethe making an excuse, before hanging up, but he can’t get himself to put down the phone. It would make it real, and he isn’t sure if he can face it being real just yet.

* * *

“What did she say?”

“She’s moving out.”

“Did you try…”

“Yes, Hvitserk, of course I tried!” Ubbe spits out. “Fuck!”

“She’ll change her mind. You’ve split up so many times before, and every time she came back to you, so…”

“This is different.”

“She loves you,” Hvitserk says, and Ubbe opens his mouth to object, but he knows that his brother means well, so he just flashes a small, unconvincing smile, as he joins him on the coach.

“I’m going to have to cancel my honeymoon… we were supposed to leave tomorrow morning. What am I going to tell them?”

“Why don’t you go? Try to take your mind off things?”

“What am I going to do in Paris by myself? We didn’t plan anything,” Ubbe admits. “I figured we’d be in our room all weekend, maybe go see the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, but… I don’t know.”

“It’s Paris, I’m sure you’ll find something to do,” Hvitserk laughs. “And who knows, maybe you’ll find someone to take your mind of Margrethe,” he adds, but Ubbe looks down at his hands, a heartbroken smile on his face. “Too soon?”

“Too soon.” Ubbe sighs, staring down at his finger, and when Hvitserk realises he’s staring down at the place where his wedding ring should be right now, he grabs his hand, and he squeezes it tight. “Why don’t you go with me?”

“On your honeymoon?” Hvitserk laughs. “You don’t think that’s a little…”

“I don’t want to be on my own,” Ubbe admits. “You said you wanted to go to Paris, didn’t you?”

“Not like this.” Hvitserk sighs. “But I’ll go with you, if you want me to.”

“Please.”

* * *

Ubbe is exhausted, after having walked around in Paris all day. Hvitserk had been trying to get them to go back to the hotel for hours, but Ubbe couldn’t face it. Knowing that he was supposed to be there with Margrethe, knowing that he was supposed to be married, it is unbearable. He would have kept walking on, but he could see that Hvitserk was exhausted, that he was only putting on a brave face for his brother.

So they had finally gone to the hotel, and like at the airport, they had had to explain why Hvitserk was there instead of Margrethe. Ubbe had felt sick as the man behind the reception desk had given him a look of pity. He knows it won’t be the last time, but every time he sees that look of pity, he just wants to run away. He knows he has to get through this though, so he had faced it, he had listened to him as he had told him the story of his sister, who had been left at the altar as well. He had nodded at the right times, he had said all the right things, but the story had hardly gotten through to him.

He had been grateful when the man had handed them their luggage, which they had dropped off that morning, and they had been able to go up to their room. But as they are about to head in now, Ubbe can feel his heart starting to beat faster. He remembers picking out the hotel with Margrethe, booking the honeymoon suite, the excitement he had felt that day.

“Are you okay?” Hvitserk asks. Ubbe ignores him though, and he opens the door. He sets down his suitcase, and he opens the curtains, the view not nearly as wonderful as the one on the website. He keeps staring out though, unable to face the room, unable to face his brother.

“Why didn’t she tell me? We could have changed something, we could have… I don’t know, I could have tried to spend more time with her, maybe…”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“If I hadn’t moved in, then…”

“Then she would have left a long time ago,” Ubbe says as he turns around, only when he says the words, realising that it’s the truth. “She only stayed because she had you.”

“Then I’ll stay,” Hvitserk suggests. “I’ll make sure she gets the attention she needs. I don’t mean sex, but I can take her out, then you can…”

“That’s not right, Hvitserk,” Ubbe says. “I should be enough for her, shouldn’t I?”

“What can I do to help?”

“I don’t know,” Ubbe admits. “It’s done now.”

“She’ll come back.”

* * *

“How is he?”

“Nothing like himself,” Hvitserk sighs, as he stares down onto the busy Paris street, phone in hand. “He keeps blaming himself, dad. She told him she’s unhappy, but…”

“Why is she unhappy?”

“Because he’s at work all day. She was fine when I was there to give her attention, but I was supposed to move out after the wedding, so…”

“Then why doesn’t she find herself something to do? Ubbe works his ass off to give her everything she wants, it’s not like he’s out there fucking…”

“Someone else?” Hvitserk suggests, unable to hide the guilt in his voice.

“Do you think that’s why she left?” Ragnar asks. “Because of you?”

“I don’t know. They were happy before I moved in. I mean, they were still happy when I was there, but maybe if I hadn’t moved in…”

“But you did, Hvitserk. And you decided to get involved in their relationship,” Ragnar says, the words cutting right through Hvitserk. “I don’t think she left because of you though. I think the thought of settling down scared her. But how did you think this was going to end?”

“It was going to stop after the wedding, and I was going to move out. Things were going to go back to normal, they…”

“They were meant to just forget about it?”

“I guess.”

“Look, your brother needs you now more than ever,” Ragnar says. “Are you and him still sleeping together?”

“No, that’s done,” Hvitserk quickly says. “I told you, after the wedding…”

“But he didn’t marry Margrethe, did he? Ubbe needs his brother right now, Hvitserk, not a…”

“I know,” Hvitserk mumbles. “I’m here to look after him.”

“Good. Let me know when you get back, okay?”

“I will. And dad, I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” Ragnar says. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

Hvitserk can’t help but think of the conversation with Ragnar when he and Ubbe are in bed that night. They had spent the entire day in the Louvre, and after having dinner, they had gone back to the hotel, where they had had a drink at the bar. By the time they had gone up to their room, it had been late at night, so they had gotten ready for bed, planning to go to sleep.

But Hvitserk can’t sleep, and he knows Ubbe is still awake too, because he can hear him tossing and turning.

“Dad is worried about us.”

“Yeah?” Ubbe asks, as he turns to face his brother. “What did he say?”

“He told me you need a brother right now, not…”

“A good fuck?” Ubbe suggests, and Hvitserk can’t help but laugh. “What? Is that what he said?”

“Not in those exact words, but yes.”

“So what did you tell him?”

“That I’m here to look after you. That we’re done with that.”

“Why are you telling me?”

“I’m not sure,” Hvitserk admits.

“Are you telling me because you want me to reassure you?” Ubbe asks. “Or do you want me to tell you that you were wrong when you told him that it’s done?”

“I don’t know,” Hvitserk mumbles. “I still feel like Margrethe…”

“She did not leave because of you, Hvitserk. Now go to sleep.”

Hvitserk is about to say another thing, but Ubbe already turns away from him, and he feels like the moment has passed. So he closes his eyes, and he tells himself to go to sleep. To get some rest before they have another long day tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

It’s been two weeks since Ubbe and Margrethe were meant to get married, and although Ubbe is still upset, he is starting to find some kind of peace with it. When he and Hvitserk had gotten back from Paris, all of Margrethe’s things had been gone. Ubbe had tried calling her, but she had ignored all of his phone calls, and in the end he had gotten a text saying she needed more time. He thought he would feel shattered after the text, but when he had felt a calmth after reading it, he knew that he had seen it coming. That a part of him was starting to accept it.

But it still feels odd, coming home, and not having Margrethe there. Hvitserk is there most of the time, so at least Ubbe doesn’t come home to an empty house, but it’s not the same. And every morning when he wakes up, he still expects to find Margrethe next to him, but when he opens his eyes, and he finds no one there with him, it makes him feel empty inside. But every day it gets a little easier, and he knows that with time, he might not even expect to find her every time he enters a room.

Today he had brought home pizza, hoping to have a quiet night in with Hvitserk, maybe watch some movies, have a drink. But Hvitserk hadn’t been there, so Ubbe had sat by the fire as he had eaten, trying to ignore the deafening silence in the house. He had tried to watch a movie, but he had kept getting distracted, and he had even considered going to see Sigurd or Ivar. But he knows that he will have to get used to it, so he had forced himself to sit through the movie, before going to bed.

He is still awake though, when he hears Hvitserk coming home. He almost jumps out of bed to go see him, but when he hears a man’s voice with him, he decides against it. He keeps quiet, as he listens to the laughing voices downstairs, but when he hears them coming up the stairs, it dawns on him what is about to happen. What he is about to hear. What he can’t run away from.

* * *

Ubbe had stayed up in his bedroom until he had heard Hvitserk’s date leave, but he knows he can’t put it off any longer. So he goes downstairs, and he finds his brother in the kitchen, having a coffee.

“You look…”

“What was that?” Ubbe asks, but Hvitserk just shrugs. “I think you should move out.”

“What?” Hvitserk laughs, but when he realises that it’s not a joke, the smile leaves his face. “What are you talking about? Is this about last night?”

“I heard you!”

“So? Are you angry because I fucked some…”

“In my house!”

“Seriously?” Hvitserk asks. “What is this really about?”

“I let you live here, and you bring home some guy like it’s no big deal!”

“It’s not!” Hvitserk says, a confused look on his face. “Is this… are you jealous? Is that what is going on? Are you jealous I can fuck whoever I want, and you can’t? Because I’ve got news for you, Ubbe, Margrethe dumped you!”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“If you want to go out and fuck some random girl, no one is going to stop you,” Hvitserk says. “I won’t.”

“I don’t want to fuck around,” Ubbe spits out. “I’m not like you, I’m not…”

“You’re not jealous? Then why do you want me to move out, huh?”

“And what if I am jealous?” Ubbe asks, and Hvitserk opens his mouth to cuss him out, but then it hits him what he is saying.

“Are you?”

“Fuck you, Hvitserk!”

“Fuck me? You’re acting like a jealous little…,” Hvitserk spits out, but before he can finish what he was about to say, his brother has punched him in the face. Ubbe immediately grabs him by the face to see if he’s okay, but Hvitserk’s lip is bleeding, and he is shaking because of the shock.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“You hit me!”

Ubbe kisses him, half expecting Hvitserk to pull away, to hit him back. But Hvitserk kisses him back with such force, with such a fire, that it almost scares him.

Ubbe gasps for air as he feels Hvitserk sliding a hand into his pants, grabbing hold of his dick. He does the same to Hvitserk, and he can feel their frustration, their anger, their jealousy, every single emotion from the last months, coming out in every kiss, in every touch.

“What are we doing here, Ubbe?” Hvitserk whispers, when they are cleaning up, only moments later.

“I don’t know,” Ubbe admits, feeling himself getting choked up as he looks into his brother’s eyes. “But I do know that I can’t lose you too, Hvitserk.”

* * *

After what had happened that morning, Hvitserk had started avoiding Ubbe. They haven’t spoken a word to each other all week, and Ubbe would give anything for things to be okay again, but he doesn’t know how to fix things. So he had let the uncomfortable silences last, and he had let Hvitserk walk out as soon as he entered a room. And as he enters the kitchen this morning, he expects his brother to get up and leave, but instead, Hvitserk remains seated.

“Are you…”

“I’m going to look at an apartment today,” Hvitserk interrupts, his eyes glued to his coffee. “If we can work things out, I should be able to move in next week.”

“You don’t have to move out, Hvitserk. I didn’t mean…”

“Yeah, you did,” Hvitserk sighs, before looking up to face Ubbe. “We can’t go on like this. You punched me for fuck sake!”

“I was upset, Margrethe…”

“Had nothing to do with it. Did she?”

“No,” Ubbe admits. “I’m sorry. But you don’t have to leave. Look at this place, it’s big enough for both of us.”

“Right now it isn’t.”

“Are we okay though?” Ubbe asks, trying to hide how scared he is to lose his brother, but he can hear his voice shaking, and a small smile forms on Hvitserk’s lips.

“Of course we are okay.”

* * *

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s ehm…,” Hvitserk hesitates, a forced smile on his face. “It’s…”

“Small?” Ubbe suggests, looking around the room, which functions as living area, bedroom and kitchen. “Excuse us for a minute?”

Ubbe drags his brother into the bathroom, before shutting the door behind them.

“You can’t live here, Hvitserk!”

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Please stay with me,” Ubbe whispers. “I promise I won’t…”

“Hit me?” Hvitserk asks, the corners of his mouth curling up into a mischievous smile. “Be a jealous little…”

“Yeah, alright,” Ubbe laughs. “I’ll work on it, okay?”

“Are you alright in there, boys?”

“So?” Ubbe asks, but his brother doesn’t say a word. “Please, Hvitserk.”

“I guess we better go tell her that I’ve already found a place.”

* * *

Ubbe and Hvitserk have just done the shopping, and they’re about to get back to the car, when Hvitserk notices Margrethe on the other side of the street with a group of friends. She is happily chatting away, and has the biggest, most carefree smile on her face.

“Is that…,” Ubbe begins, but when he doesn’t say another word, Hvitserk looks at him, and he sees the hurt look on his face. “She looks happy, doesn’t she?”

“Why don’t you go talk to her?”

“And say what?”

“She needed time, didn’t she?” Hvitserk shrugs. “You gave her time, perhaps now she…”

“She would have come back if she had changed her mind, Hvitserk.”

“Or she thinks you’re angry with her, so she’s not coming back until you ask her to come back.”

“You’re not going to let this go until I go talk to her, are you?” Ubbe asks, a big smirk now on his brother’s face. “Fine, but if she…”

“Just go!”

Ubbe takes a deep breath, before going over to Margrethe and her friends, who all look a little uncomfortable when they see him.

“Ubbe!” Margrethe says, a forced smile on her face. “How have you been?”

“Fine. We ehm… I… do you…,” Ubbe stumbles, and Margrethe raises an eyebrow. “I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drink.”

“Not really.”

“Right…,” Ubbe says, feeling as sick to his stomach as he had done on the day of their wedding. “Then how about you come to the house, we can talk… catch up?”

“I’m with my friends, Ubbe.”

“Go with him. We’ll see you later,” one of the girls says, and Ubbe flashes a grateful smile, but he can’t help but notice the hesitation on Margrethe’s face. Still, she gives a small nod.

“Hvitserk is in the car, he’s just…”

“He’s still living with you? I thought he was moving out?” Margrethe asks, as they make their way over to the car. “What happened?”

“You happened. He stayed because I could do with having my brother around,” Ubbe explains, but after the words have left his mouth, he realises how accusatory they sound. He turns to look at Margrethe to see her reaction, almost wishing to see guilt, shame, regret, but there is none. “How have you been, since…?”

“What do you want from me, Ubbe?”

“I just want to talk.”

“You know I’m not coming back, don’t you?”

“We’ll see,” Ubbe says, daring her, a mischievous smile on his face. He half expects to be shut down, but when he looks at her, he can see a small smile on her face, one he hasn’t seen in a long time. He hates to admit it, but it gives him hope. Hope that they can go back to the way they were, before things had fallen apart. Hope that they can be happy again. Hope that everything is going to be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

Hvitserk had disappeared upstairs as soon as they had gotten to the house, to give Ubbe and Margrethe some privacy. He had fallen asleep and woken up hours later, and by the time he had woken up, he figured it was alright for him to go downstairs. But when he had gone into the living area, he had found Ubbe and Margrethe cuddled up on the couch, both with a drink in their hand.

Hvitserk had been glad to see that they had seemed to have made up, and he had been about to sneak out before they had seen him, but Margrethe had already noticed him. So she had asked him to join them, and although he had been about to reject, when Ubbe had flashed a reassuring smile, he figured one drink would do no harm.

One drink had led to another, and before they knew it, there had been a few empty bottles of wine on the table.

Hvitserk is pouring himself another glass of wine, when he realises that Ubbe and Margrethe have started making out. He can’t help but watch them, as Margrethe climbs on top of Ubbe’s lap, as Ubbe’s hand disappears underneath her dress.

Hvitserk knows he should probably get up and leave the room, but he simply sits back, and enjoys his wine. Yet something makes him look again, and he realises both his brother and Margrethe are watching him.

“Do you want me to…”

“Stay,” Margrethe says, and Hvitserk can’t help but look down at Ubbe’s hand in between her legs. But before he can say a word, Margrethe has kissed him with such a fire, that it leaves him unable to move for a moment.

Margrethe gets up, and she gets out of her clothes, a determined look on her face. For a moment, Hvitserk wonders if she knew this was going to happen when she agreed to come here, but when she sits down in his lap, facing away from him, he turns to face Ubbe, trying to apologise for being here, for stealing his moment. But Ubbe doesn’t seem to care, not at all, because he has a big grin on his face, and when Margrethe takes his hand, and slides it in between her legs, Ubbe’s grin only grows bigger.

Ubbe gets up, and for a moment, Hvitserk thinks he is leaving, but when he kneels down in front of him, that grin still on his face, Hvitserk realises what is going to happen. Ubbe takes Hvitserk’s hand away, before placing his mouth on Margrethe’s cunt, making her moan out and lean her head back against Hvitserk’s shoulder.

Having Margrethe in his lap, moaning out, Ubbe in between their legs, licking her, his fingers inside of her, it’s turning Hvitserk on more than he wants to admit. But when Ubbe stares straight into his eyes, he knows that he knows. That he is trying to tease him, make him hard. That this is as much for Margrethe as it is for him.

Ubbe has a satisfied smirk on his face when he gets up, after having made Margrethe come. He sits back down next to them on the couch, and he leans forward to kiss her, but she stops him.

“I want you to kiss Hvitserk.”

“What?” Ubbe laughs, thinking she is making a joke, but when he realises that she isn’t, he instead kisses his brother. He is not holding back though, and Hvitserk can feel his cheeks turning warmer with every moment longer the kiss lasts.

When Ubbe finally ends the kiss, Hvitserk looks and realises that Margrethe has started palming Ubbe’s dick through his jeans while they were kissing. It sends another hot flash through his body, and all of the sudden he is aware of every inch of Margrethe’s naked skin that is pressed up against his body. Should he make his excuses now and leave? Should he leave them to it?

But the moment to leave seems to have passed, as Margrethe unzips Ubbe’s jeans, and helps slide them down, exposing his hard dick. She climbs back onto his lap, letting herself slide down onto his dick, before starting to ride him. She starts kissing him, but even Hvitserk can see that they are distracted kisses, from both sides.

Yet he can’t help but watch them, until he feels a hand sliding into his jeans. He looks down, and he finds Ubbe’s hand distractedly, fumbling, trying to grab hold of his dick. Hvitserk can’t help but laugh to himself, before taking Ubbe’s hand, and leading the way, their hands stroking his dick together. And for just a moment, he has forgotten all about Margrethe being there, until he hears her moaning, and he looks up at her.

Her face is flushed, but her eyes are closed, and when Hvitserk looks at his brother, he finds him looking back at him, not at Margrethe. Ubbe takes his hand, and he brings it up to the back of Hvitserk’s neck, before pulling him in for a kiss.

“Wait, stop,” Margrethe suddenly says, and both brothers look at her, a little worried they may have upset her. But when they hear her next words, they can’t help but laugh. “I want Hvitserk to fuck me too.”

“Really?” Hvitserk laughs. “Is that okay?”

“It’s her choice,” Ubbe shrugs, the grin on Margrethe’s face growing. She lies down in the stack of pillows that are now on the floor, which had been on the couch earlier, and Hvitserk hesitates for a moment. But Ubbe encourages him, so he gets up, takes off his clothes, and he gets down with her.

He tries to kiss her, but she turns her face away, so he ends up kissing her cheek.

“Are you sure?” he whispers, but Margrethe is already grabbing hold of his dick, and he can’t help but laugh at her hunger. So he pushes into her, the adrenaline rushing through him when he realises Ubbe had been inside of her only moments before.

He can hear Ubbe joining them on the floor, and when he feels him kissing his neck, his back, his ass, it only ignites the fire inside of him. And when he senses Ubbe placing himself behind him, when he feels his fingers pushing inside of him, he can’t help but let out a grunt.

“Fuck!” he groans out, as he pushes into Margrethe again, Ubbe’s fingers still inside of him. He tries to catch his breath, but there is no time, because another finger is added, and his heart is now beating so fast, that he is starting to see stars.

Hvitserk can feel Ubbe taking back his fingers, and he knows what it means, what is about to happen. Yet when he feels Ubbe’s dick pushing into him, it still makes him gasp for air. He looks down at Margrethe, but her eyes are closed, so he turns to look over his shoulder, straight into Ubbe’s eyes.

“I love you,” Ubbe mouths, a shy smile forming on Hvitserk’s lips for just a moment, before he turns his head again.

Ubbe looks down at his brother’s tattooed back, at the beads of sweat forming on his skin, at the way his muscles are working hard as he is fucking. As he is being fucked.

It makes Ubbe feel things he knows he shouldn’t be feeling, yet he can hear the soft moans coming from his brother, he can hear how much he is enjoying this too.

Ubbe wants to make this moment last as long as possible, yet when he hears his brother’s breathing becoming more ragged, his movements becoming more unsteady, he knows he is close too. He leans down to kiss his neck, and when he hears the small moan it produces, it’s enough to make him come.

He pulls out, and he collapses down on the floor. For a moment he closes his eyes, but when he opens them, and he watches Hvitserk’s face, as he is fucking Margrethe, he can feel a smile forming on his face. He watches as Hvitserk’s facial expression changes, as his face turns an even darker shade of red, as he pulls out and moves away from Margrethe.

Margrethe sits up, and Ubbe is about to offer her another drink, half expecting her to stay the night. Expecting this to be the beginning of something. But there is something in her face that tells him not to offer a drink. Don’t expect anything.

So he watches as she gets dressed, as she picks up her purse, her phone, her keys. She’s ready to leave, when Ubbe turns to look at his brother, and he sees the knowing look on his face.

“Where are you going?” he asks, as he gets up. “You don’t have to leave, do you?”

“You didn’t think I was going to stay, did you?” Margrethe laughs.

“Please, we can…”

“Don’t do this, Ubbe.”

“But I thought…”

“I have to go!”

“I miss you!” Ubbe tries, but when Margrethe sighs, an uncomfortable look on her face, he knows that it isn’t going to work. “Then what was this?”

“This was just sex. A goodbye maybe, but nothing more. I don’t love you, Ubbe,” Margrethe spits out, and with those words, she leaves the house. Ubbe is left standing there, having gone from an incredible high, back to feeling as horrible as he had felt the day Margrethe had left him.

Hvitserk gets up, and he wraps his arms around his brother, holding him as tight as possible, not even caring if he is physically hurting him. He needs to hold him, needs to let him know he is here for him. Needs him to know that he isn’t going anywhere.

* * *

Ubbe can feel a hand caressing his arm, lips brushing just past the skin at the back of his neck, and for a moment, he wonders if he had imagined Margrethe leaving. If she had stayed, and they had ended up in bed together. But as he feels himself truly waking up, he remembers what had happened after Margrethe had left. Hvitserk had held him for a long time, before they had gone upstairs, and they had gone to bed. Ubbe had felt shattered at first, but as the hours had gone by, he had started feeling numb, empty. Still Hvitserk had not let go of him, he had been there for him, and as Ubbe feels the caring touch on his arm, he knows that his brother has stayed up to look after him.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m not sure,” Ubbe admits, before turning to face his brother. “A part of me really hoped she was coming back, but…”

“But what?”

“I’m also relieved she didn’t.”

“I know,” Hvitserk says, a small smile on his face, and Ubbe is about to ask him how. Why didn’t he say anything? Why did he make him talk to Margrethe if he knew? But instead, he just smiles to himself, because of course Hvitserk knows. Hvitserk probably knew, long before Ubbe knew it himself.

“Thank you, for last night.”

“What’s going to happen now?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking about taking some time off from work, maybe do some travelling…,” Ubbe suggests. “I have spent years working day and night, but for what?”

“You’ve got this place, you…”

“Lost Margrethe. I wasted five years of my life, Hvitserk. I don’t want to waste any more time. I just want to go out and…”

“Then let’s go out,” Hvitserk suggests, and Ubbe can’t help but laugh. “I mean it. Fuck work, and let’s go do whatever you want to do. We can pack our bags and be on the first plane to… I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”

“I have a meeting today, so…”

“Really?” Hvitserk laughs, a big grin on his face. “You’re going in to work today?”

“I guess not,” Ubbe laughs. “Let’s go pack.”


	10. Chapter 10

Ubbe and Hvitserk are about to head out the door, when they hear a car on the gravel. They aren’t expecting anyone, so when Ubbe looks out the window and he sees Bjorn and Torvi getting out of the car, a feeling of dread washes over him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, as soon as Hvitserk lets them into the house. “Why are you here?”

“It’s good to see you too, Ubbe,” Bjorn laughs, but both Ubbe and Hvitserk can see right through it, and they see the tired look on his face. The worry. “Do you have a minute? Both of you?”

“We were just heading out, so…,” Hvitserk says, nudging his head into the direction of their suitcases. “Can it wait?”

“Not really,” Torvi says, “It won’t take long.”

They all go into the kitchen, where they sit down at the table. Bjorn grabs hold of Torvi’s hand, and Ubbe wonders what is wrong. He looks at Hvitserk, to see if he knows more, but he looks just as confused, just as worried.

“We ehm…,” Bjorn begins, but then he sighs.

“I’m pregnant,” Torvi says, and for a moment, Ubbe isn’t sure if he has misheard, because isn’t this supposed to be a good thing? Yet Bjorn and Torvi both look like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

“Congratulations?” Hvitserk hesitates. “I think?”

“We are happy, it’s just… Lagertha found out she was pregnant, the day before the wedding,” Torvi explains.

“Lagertha is pregnant?” Hvitserk asks, but then it hits him why they are looking so downcast, so guilty. “She lost the baby?”

“You should have seen her, when she thought she was going to be a mother again,” Torvi says, her eyes filling up with tears. “She is heartbroken.”

“When did it happen?” Ubbe asks. “Why didn’t they tell us?”

“Two weeks ago,” Bjorn sighs. “They wanted to tell you when they found out my mother was pregnant, but it was your wedding day, so… then Margrethe left, and they figured it wasn’t the right time to tell you. And they knew that if they’d tell Hvitserk, he’d tell you.”

“How is dad?”

“Trying to be strong, for my mother. But he wanted this as much as she did.”

“You can’t let what happened to them ruin this for you though,” Hvitserk says, and they all look at him. “You think Lagertha will be upset when she finds out you’re pregnant? You know she’s not like that, don’t you?”

“I found out, the day she told us she had lost the baby,” Torvi admits, still trying to fight her tears.

“We will tell them, but not yet. Not with everything that has happened lately,” Bjorn says, and Ubbe opens his mouth to ask what else has happened lately. But he already knows, his wedding has happened, he and Hvitserk have happened. “It’s not the right time.”

“Don’t you think that this could be a good thing?” Hvitserk asks.

“Or it could cause her more pain. This is my mother we’re talking about. I know she has raised you, and you care about her too, but…”

“But she is not our mother?” Hvitserk suggests, and Ubbe can see how much the words hurt him.

“I didn’t mean…”

“Yeah, you did, Bjorn.”

Bjorn has a guilty look on his face, as he stares down at his wife’s hand, and a deadly silence follows.

“We will tell her, but not yet,” Torvi finally says. “We want to give them time to deal with what has happened, and not make them feel like they have to be happy, when they’re not ready yet,” she tries to explain.

“For what it’s worth, I’m happy for you, and I can’t wait to meet the little one.”

* * *

“Are you okay?” Ubbe asks, when Bjorn and Torvi are gone. “What Bjorn said about Lagertha…”

“She’s not our mother though, is she? Aslaug is.”

“But so is Lagertha, and he knows it too,” Ubbe says, as he places his hands on the sides of his brother’s neck. “He’s just upset.”

Their rests their foreheads against one another’s, and Ubbe can sense how hurt Hvitserk is, how tense he is, how the emotions are raging inside of him. He knows that no words are going to help him right now though, because this pain is buried too deep inside of him.

* * *

After what had happened yesterday, the brothers had not left for the airport. They had decided to stay home, and to try another time instead. Tonight they are going out though, and Ubbe can’t help but feel nervous butterflies in his stomach. This will be the first time he has gone out since Margrethe has left, and to go out as a single man again, he knows it will feel different.

He has just gotten out of the shower, and when he steps into the bedroom, he finds Hvitserk sitting on the bed, a big, excited grin on his face.

“What?” Ubbe laughs, “I don’t trust that look.”

“What if a girl tries to get it on with you tonight?” Hvitserk asks. “Are you ready to try and forget about Margrethe?”

“I don’t know,” Ubbe admits, as he begins to get dressed. “We’ll see, I guess.”

“You can’t hide away in here forever. You’ve got to get out there while you still…”

“What?” Ubbe laughs, when his brother stops mid-sentence, and he finds him with a dark blush on his face. “What were you going to say? While I still what?”

“While you still look like that,” Hvitserk admits. “Who wouldn’t want to…”

“Fuck off,” Ubbe laughs, but when Hvitserk gets up and steps up to him, he realises that it wasn’t a joke. “I don’t think I am ready to move on yet.”

“I thought…”

“I’m not talking about Margrethe, Hvitserk,” Ubbe admits, his heart beating so fast, that he is starting to feel dizzy. Hvitserk opens his mouth to speak, but then he changes his mind, and he just flashes a knowing smile, before giving his brother a quick kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry, I…”

“Come on, get dressed.”

* * *

At first Ubbe and Hvitserk had stuck together at the club. They had had a drink, they had stepped onto the dance floor together, but when time after time, people kept coming in between them, trying to get their attention, they had eventually lost sight of each other. Ubbe had given most of the girls some attention, he had danced with them, he had even shared a kiss with one or two of them. But then they had realised that he hadn’t been interested, and they had drifted off. Ubbe hadn’t minded though, it had kept him busy, and it had kept his mind off Margrethe, off Hvitserk. But when a young man had stepped up to him, and he had started flirting with him, it had made him feel different. The girls had all looked the same to him, they had all acted the same, it had only made him feel distracted.

Yet as the young man had flirted with him, he had felt a rush of adrenaline going through his body which set his every sense on edge. It had made him feel excited, it had made him want to flirt back. So he had, and when the young man had tried to kiss him, Ubbe had kissed him back with no hesitation. He had felt hungry to kiss him, to touch him, to fuck him. It had surprised him, shocked him even to feel this way, and for a moment he wondered if it was the drinks. But when he remembered that he was only three drinks in, he realised that couldn’t have been it.

“How about we take this somewhere else?” the young man suggests, and Ubbe can feel himself snap out of the rush, out of the excitement. “I live just around the corner, we can…”

“I’m sorry, man, but…”

“That’s alright.” The young man flashes a reassuring smile, but then he nods. “What’s his name?”

“What do you mean?”

“The guy you were thinking about when we were making out just now? The guy you wish I was?”

“There’s no guy,” Ubbe laughs, but he feels caught out, and he knows that the young man knows.

“Good luck, yeah? I hope it works out between you two.”

Ubbe watches him walk off, and he considers following him, taking him up on his offer, but when he notices Hvitserk flirting with a girl, he is frozen in his spot. Hvitserk seems nervous, and there is something different about him. Ubbe can’t help but smile to himself as he watches him fumble to get his phone out of his pocket, as he seems to be blushing, as he carefully kisses the girl on the cheek.

“Who was that?” he asks, when his brother comes over to him.

“Just some girl.” Hvitserk shrugs, but Ubbe can tell that there is more to it. That this is not just some girl. He lets it go though, and when his brother starts dancing, he follows, both the girl and the young man already having been pushed to the back of his mind.

But when Hvitserk starts kissing him, his hands grabbing onto his arms, his back, his ass, he remembers the young man he had been making out with only minutes before. He remembers his words, and he feels guilty, not towards the young man, but towards his brother. But when Hvitserk pulls their bodies closely together, their mouths still pressed together, it almost makes him wonder if he knows. If he is trying to reassure him. If he is trying to tell him it’s okay.

* * *

“What’s their name?” Ubbe asks, as he steps into his brother’s room, a few days later. Hvitserk has been nervous all day, and he has been getting ready for the longest time. Ubbe knows him well enough to know what is going on.

“What do you mean?”

“Whoever you’re going out with. What’s their name?” Ubbe asks, and his brother looks up at him, a guilty look on his face. “Well?”

“It’s the girl from the club,” Hvitserk says, and before his brother can say anything, he adds. “I wasn’t going to tell you, I know you…”

“She’s cute.”

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to.”

“Hvitserk!” Ubbe laughs. “I want you to go, alright?”

He goes to leave the room, but before he leaves, he turns back around, and he finds Hvitserk watching him, a hesitant look on his face.

“You look great, Hvitserk. I’m sure she won’t be able to keep her hands off you.”

“Thank you,” Hvitserk says, and Ubbe can tell that his words mean a lot to him. That his nerves weren’t just about his date, but about upsetting his brother too.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

Ubbe had been meaning to stay up, so Hvitserk could tell him all about his date when he got home, but he had fallen asleep, and when he had just woken up, there had been a blanket wrapped tightly around him.

He gets up, and he goes into the kitchen, where Hvitserk is making coffee, a happy smile on his face.

“How was it?”

“She’s great, she’s…,” Hvitserk begins, but then he sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“What happened with Margrethe, and then I’m…”

“Happy?” Ubbe suggests. “Just because I was dumped, and I’m miserable, doesn’t mean I want you to be miserable too,” he laughs.

“Are you? Miserable.”

“Don’t change the subject! How did it go? What did you do? What’s her name?”

“Thora.” Hvitserk smiles. “I was going to take her out to dinner, but we got a sandwich and went for a walk instead. She just… what?”

“Nothing, I just wish you could see yourself when you talk about her. You look happy, brother.”

* * *

The whole family had been invited over to Bjorn and Torvi’s, and the afternoon had started out great, until Ivar had ‘accidentally’ mentioned Torvi being pregnant. Ragnar and Lagertha had not gotten upset, instead, they had congratulated them, but Bjorn had been so angry with Ivar for telling them, that the whole afternoon had been spoiled. They had still tried to make it work though, until Ivar had started making digs about Ubbe and Hvitserk. Ragnar had dragged him out of the house, and that had been the end of it.

Ubbe and Hvitserk had stuck around though, and Hvitserk is now helping Bjorn with the dishes. There is an uncomfortable silence though, and it’s clear that the tension from last time hasn’t been cleared yet.

“I’m sorry,” Bjorn finally says, “For what I said, about my mother not being… you know… I know she’s your mother too.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you alright? You’ve been quiet today,” Bjorn says, as he turns to face his brother. “Is this because of what Ivar said?”

“I don’t know,” Hvitserk admits. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“You can talk to me.”

“About Ubbe?”

“Yeah, even about Ubbe.” Bjorn smiles. “Just don’t tell me the details, alright? I don’t need to know who does what to who, or…”

“Who fucks who?” Hvitserk suggests, and his brother shakes his head, smiling to himself.

“So what is going on with you two? Are you still…”

“I’m not sure. It was supposed to end after the wedding, but now we just… I know it’s not normal.”

“But?”

“When it’s the two of us, it just happens,” Hvitserk admits, half expecting his brother to cuss him out, to start yelling at him, but Bjorn just sighs. “It feels normal, Bjorn.”

“Then what’s the problem? You’re not hurting anyone, are you?”

“You were the one who got angry when you found out.”

“Excuse me for being a little upset,” Bjorn laughs. “It’s pretty… unusual. But as long as you’re not hurting anyone, and it’s what you both want, then I don’t see what the problem is? It’s just sex, right?”

“I’m not sure it is though,” Hvitserk admits, and it takes a moment, but then his brother realises what he is saying, and he nods, trying to take his words in.

“Are you… you’re in love with him?”

“No! It’s not like that. Not at all,” Hvitserk quickly says. “But it’s… I don’t even know. I met this girl though, and I really want to try and make this work, but I don’t want to lose Ubbe. I don’t want…”

“Does she know?”

“Not yet. How can I tell her something like that?” Hvitserk asks, his insides feeling all twisted up. “How do I explain that I’ve been fucking my brother, and I don’t think it’s going to stop?”

“If he wasn’t your brother, would you…”

“Don’t do that!”

“What? I’m just saying…,” Bjorn begins, but Hvitserk can feel something building up inside of him, and it takes all of his strength not to cry, not to scream, not to hit his brother.

“But he is, Bjorn. This is Ubbe we’re talking about. Not some guy, not…”

“Not what?” Bjorn asks. “Would you continue sleeping with him, behind her back? Would you not even have gone out with her? Would you be…”

“Don’t.”

“Would you be dating him?” Bjorn continues, not afraid of his brother. “Or would you have stopped this whole thing a long time ago, and are you only still doing this because you’re afraid to lose him?”

“I…,” Hvitserk begins, but by the look on his brother’s face, he can already tell that he knows the answer.

“Figure out what you want, Hvitserk, for your sake, for Ubbe’s sake, and for this girl’s sake. Because the way I’m seeing it, you’re going to have to choose. You can’t have it all.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Is that… who is this guy?” Thora asks, when she sees a framed picture of Hvitserk and Ubbe in his bedroom. It’s been a few days since Hvitserk’s conversation with Bjorn, and he had thought about it long and hard, but deep down he had known the answer all along. So he had asked Thora out on a date, and after dinner, she had suggested they’d go back to his place.

“That’s my brother. This is actually his house, he is only letting me stay here because…”

“That’s… sorry, that is your brother?” Thora asks, a confused look on her face. “But he… I thought…”

“Thought what?”

“I saw you, in the club, after I gave you my number, you went up to him, you started dancing… I saw you kissing him,” Thora says, her voice shaking. “Is he your boyfriend? Are you married? Because I…”

“No,” Hvitserk sighs, not having been prepared for this conversation yet, but he knows he owes her the truth. “He’s my brother.”

“So… but… he is the guy I saw you kissing, isn’t he?”

“Yes.” Hvitserk nods. “That’s him. Ubbe.”

“I’ve heard of girls making out, to get the attention of guys, but… I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of brothers making out to… is that why…?” Thora asks, trying to stay calm, but she is clearly struggling to get her head around it, and Hvitserk can tell that she is getting upset.

“No, that’s not why we kissed,” Hvitserk admits. “Give me a chance to explain?”

They sit down on the edge of the bed, and Hvitserk takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain it to her, but what right words are there? It still comes down to the same thing.

“Ubbe and I… we are sleeping together,” he says, because why bother putting it any other way? When she finds out, she will leave anyway. He is waiting for her to cuss him out, to storm off, but when he looks up, he just finds her staring at him, waiting to hear more. “We have sex with each other.”

“Yes, I know what you meant,” Thora says. “But why… he is your brother, right?”

“Yeah.” Hvitserk nods. “It just… I know it sounds stupid, and it’s not explanation, not really, but it just happened.”

“Are you and him…,” Thora hesitates, but Hvitserk knows what is coming, and he flashes a small smile.

“In love?” he suggests, and Thora nods. “We’re brothers.”

“Are you gay? Am I here to cover up that you and him… I’m sorry, I just… why am I here, Hvitserk?”

“Because I like you. What me and Ubbe have, that stands on its own. Me and him, we’re…”

“Are you going to continue sleeping with him?”

“Yeah, I am,” Hvitserk says, the words having left his mouth before he has even thought about it. Thora just nods, looking down at her hands. “But I like you, and all I can do is ask if you are willing to give me a chance.”

“Does he know about me?”

“He thinks you’re cute.” Hvitserk smiles, and he can’t help but notice the blush on Thora’s face. “He knows.”

“How long, is this… I’m sorry for asking so many questions, but…”

“I would do the same thing,” Hvitserk says, as he grabs her hand. “You can ask me anything you want to know, okay?”

“Would you have told me, if I hadn’t seen you with him?”

“Yes, but not yet. It’s not something you tell on a second date, is it? By the way, I’m also fucking my brother,” Hvitserk laughs, but when he hears the words leaving his mouth, he fears they are too harsh, too much. Thora has a shy smile on her face though, and her hand is still in his. “Do you want me to drive you home?”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“I figured you’d want to go home, after…”

“I like you, Hvitserk,” Thora admits, trying to hide how nervous she is, but failing miserably. “I’m not saying I’m not shocked, because I am. This is… it’s…”

“Disgusting?”

“No!” Thora says, and she squeezes his hand. “That is not what I was going to say! I don’t understand it, but I see the way you look when you talk about him, about… you try to laugh it off, but it’s obvious that this means a lot to you. That your brother is important to you.”

“He means the world to me.”

“I can see that,” Thora says, looking down at their hands. “But if you can keep that side of your life separate from…”

“I can’t,” Hvitserk blurts out. “If you are going to be in my life, I want you to get to know my brother. I can’t keep you away from him, or…”

“That’s not what I meant,” Thora says, a shy smile on her face. “I want to get to know him, I do. I meant, if you can keep the relationship you have with him, separate from our… fuck it, I’m going to say it, from our relationship, then I’m willing to give this a chance.”

“Thank you, for giving me a chance,” Hvitserk whispers, before leaning forward, but then he hesitates, because is this really the moment for a first kiss?

“Would you rather I was your brother?” Thora whispers, and Hvitserk can feel a sharp sting going through his body, but when he sees the mischievous smile on her face, he can’t help but laugh.

* * *

“Good morning,” Ubbe says, when he hears footsteps coming down the stairs, and coming towards the kitchen. “How was your night?”

“Hello, I’m…”

“Leaving,” Hvitserk laughs, before giving Thora another kiss, and trying to get her to leave. But she steps into the kitchen, and she goes up to Ubbe.

“I’m Thora.”

“Ubbe, Hvitserk’s brother,” Ubbe says, as he shakes her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Have you now?” Ubbe asks, raising an eyebrow as he looks at his brother. But Hvitserk is staring down at the floor, an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I don’t think he’s ready for us to be in one room together yet,” Thora laughs. “But it was nice to meet you!”

Thora leaves the kitchen, and she lets herself out, while Hvitserk joins Ubbe, still looking more than a little uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry about that, I didn’t think she…”

“It’s fine,” Ubbe says, flashing a reassuring smile. “She’s nice.”

“She is. I told her, about us.”

“And she’s still here.”

“She is.” Hvitserk nods. “I ehm… I’m not sure if this is okay, me bringing her here, or…”

“Of course it is. This is your home, Hvitserk,” Ubbe says, and he wants to grab his brother’s hand, but Hvitserk pulls away, and he is avoiding his eyes. “What is it?”

“Last time I brought someone home, you hit me, because you were jealous. I don’t want this to end with us fighting again. So if this is a problem, I want you to tell me, okay? If you are jealous…”

“I’m working on it,” Ubbe admits. He struggles to admit it, but he doesn’t want to lie to Hvitserk, not after all that they have been through together. “But seeing how happy you are, it means the world to me. I mean that, okay?”

“I ehm… I saw you, at the club, with that guy,” Hvitserk admits.

“You did?”

“I got jealous too,” Hvitserk admits, staring down at the floor. “Maybe that’s why I kissed you later. Because I wanted him to see that…”

“That what?”

“That you’re mine,” Hvitserk mumbles, half expecting his brother to get angry, but when he looks up, Ubbe just has a knowing smile on his face. “I know it isn’t fair, and it doesn’t make sense, but…”

“I know, Hvitserk. We really fucked this up, didn’t we?” Ubbe sighs. “I heard you, when we were at Bjorn and Torvi’s. When Bjorn asked you, what you would have done, if I wasn’t your brother.”

“Do we have to talk about it?”

“It’s fine,” Ubbe says, and this time when he reaches out for his hand, Hvitserk lets him take it. “You would have ended it, wouldn’t you? A long time ago.”

“What?” Hvitserk asks, not sure what he is hearing. “Is that what you think?”

“You tried to end it, before the wedding, after… I made you stay. I did this, so now I am going to end it, okay?” Ubbe says, trying to steady his voice. “I’m sorry I…”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Ubbe!” Hvitserk spits out, before pushing his brother away, and getting up and storming off. Ubbe gets up, and he is about to follow him, but before he can even leave the kitchen, Hvitserk storms back in, and he kisses him.

“I love you, you stupid fucking…!”

“I fucked that up, didn’t I?” Ubbe tries, but when his brother pushes him again, he knows that he can’t laugh this off. “I’m sorry, I thought…”

“You thought wrong!”

“How about we go for a walk?”

* * *

The brothers have been walking for a long time, and Ubbe is glad to see that Hvitserk seems to be less tense now, but he knows that they need to talk about what had happened earlier. So he sits down in the grass, and his brother joins him.

“I ehm… I’m still trying to wrap my head around what has happened these last few months. What is still happening,” he admits, his eyes focussed on the lake. “I’m still waiting for the moment I’m going to wake up and realise it’s all one fucked up dream.”

“Nightmare,” Hvitserk laughs, and when Ubbe looks at him, he notices the blush on his face.

“I thought I’d be married by now, Margrethe and I, we’d be… I don’t know. I had all these dreams, these ideas, but now… I have no idea what is going to happen,” Ubbe admits.

“We’re going to see the world, aren’t we?”

“What about Thora?” Ubbe asks, but his brother just shrugs. “You deserve to be happy, Hvitserk.”

“What if you make me happy?”

Ubbe feels like the words are hitting him like a brick wall, but the truth is that they have been up in the air for months. He had been waiting for them to be spoken.

“You make me happy too,” he admits, and he can see the tears forming in his brother’s eyes. “But you are going to go on seeing Thora, and maybe she’s the Mrs. Hvitserk you talked about. You talked about her, when you were talking about that future of yours. Do you remember?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be alright. I’ll be Uncle Ubbe.” Ubbe smiles, but when Hvitserk looks at him with tears in his eyes, he can feel himself getting choked up.

“You’re making it sound like all of this is going to end. I don’t want it to end, Ubbe.”

“I don’t think it’s ever going to end,” Ubbe admits. “We’ve tried that, haven’t we?”

“You know what I would have done, don’t you? If we hadn’t been who we are.”

“I know, Hvitserk,” Ubbe says, before brushing the hair out of his brother’s face, and kissing him. “I would have done the same.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this all the way until the end. I hope you liked it. ❤️  
> Xx
> 
> https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


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